The Second Mobius
by nashie-chan
Summary: The sequel to Reawakening. A year after the tragic events, the senshi are still coping with the loss. That is, until a new group of senshi arrive, bringing with them a legendary past and a secret that will make or break the universe.
1. Episode 219

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

Love all, trust a few,

Do wrong to none. Be able for thine enemy

Rather in power than use, and keep thy friend

Under thy own life's key.

                                                - All's Well That End's Well, 1.3.63-6

**Episode 219: Times of trouble gone? Memories of the past**

"Oh my god!" Usagi yelled, jumping on Hogoshi's back. Her wide blue eyes were bugging out. "That's a perfect score! You're so good at Sailor V, Hogoshi-chan!" Hogoshi shrugged, beating up the little monsters on the arcade game.

"I've been practicing," she said. She looked around the video arcade with restless eyes. Nearly all the guys in there were staring at her. From her flowing brown hair to her whimsical green eyes, she was sure to attract the attention from any guy. "I've a natural ability for these things."

"Sure!" Usagi said, pretending to be sarcastic. She looked at the game screen. "And I always get 100% on my tests." Hogoshi rolled her eyes. As of lately, Usagi was maintaining a B-average. She was a very different person from when they first met.

"Sorry we're late!" Minako called. She was bustling through the door with three other girls wearing Juuban High School uniforms. Except for Rei, who still attended a private school. The blonde rushed up to them. "There was a REALLY cute guy and…"

"You stopped to check him out, right?" Hogoshi interrupted, seeing the twinkle in Minako's eyes. "Grow up, Mina-P. We're in the second year of high school now. You should start worrying about courting someone." Minako's face dropped.

"C-c-courting?" she asked, her voice in shock. "Me? Married?" Seeing that Minako didn't get the joke, Hogoshi clucked her tongue and turned back to the arcade game.

"Guess what!?" Usagi said, turning to her four friends. It was something really important. Her sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks told it all. Ami cocked her head to the side.

"What?" she asked, although she could pretty much guess the answer. Usagi was practically bursting with delight.

"Mamo-chan is coming home on Tuesday!" she squealed. The four other girls yelped with happiness for Usagi, who was nearly dancing around the arcade with happiness. "He told me on the phone. He's getting in at 3:00. I'm going to be there to see him." Hogoshi frowned.

"Who's Mamo-chan?" she asked, the words sounding foreign on her lips. Usagi's smile never disappeared.

"My boyfriend and future husband!" she cried, jumping up and down. "I haven't seen him in an entire year. He left right after Seiya-chan and the others went back home." Hogoshi's frown never left.

"Seiya-chan? The others?" she asked, her brow furrowed. She looked at Usagi with dark green eyes. "Who in the world are they?"

"Friends! Seiya-chan, Taiki-chan, and Yaten-chan!" Mako replied. She twirled a strand of dark brown hair. Her green eyes sparkled. "Haven't seen them in over a year either." Not liking where this conversation was going, Hogoshi turned back to the arcade screen. In brilliant yellow letters, it said: GAME OVER.

Shrugging, she grabbed her school bag off the floor. She wore the same gray outfit as Rei did. She walked calmly towards the door. Turning around, she waved a little to Usagi and the others. "See you later."

Hogoshi walked calmly out of the Crown Game Center. She was very happy for Usagi, who was finally going to be reunited with her boyfriend for after a year. It was interesting to hear about old friends they had once. But it reminded her too much of what happened a year ago. So painful, grief filled her heart like a terrible disease that could never be cured.

She remembered the trail she took. She had always used the same one whenever she felt depressed. She intentionally passed the graveyard and looked somberly at the crumbling tombstones. It was so silent there. Nothing lived. It was all dead. Thinking about the events that took place a year ago, tears pinched at her eyes. They weren't even given a proper burial...

"Why'd you guys leave me alone?" Hogoshi whispered, walking slowly into the graveyard. Tears spilled down her cheeks. When people realized that those four had disappeared, it took them so long. They never found the bodies. They had been announced missing. The mystery was shallow to her. So shallow and so cruel.

Hogoshi stared at all the tombstones, no expression on her face at all. She was still so young. So why did she feel as though she had been in depression all of her life instead of just a year?

Staring at the names of the tombstones, she felt sudden hatred against the world. She HATED it. Taking away innocent people so that life could continue. Hogoshi screamed out in fury and agony. She collapsed to her knees. Pounding her fist into the ground, she screamed again.

"How could you leave me!?" she cried, her voice heavy with grief and anger. Tears blurred her vision of the thick green grass. She stared at the tombstone in front of her. She didn't know the person and felt even angrier.

Slamming her fist into the tombstone, she heard a crack and saw that the tombstone had split in two. Her hand was bleeding from the force of the blow. She began weeping in agony again.

"Hogoshi-chan," a voice whispered quietly. Hogoshi looked around in surprise. She saw Rei and Usagi standing behind her. Embarrassed, Hogoshi wiped her eyes and stared at the two girls.

"Sorry," Hogoshi muttered, rising to her feet. She stared sullenly at the broken headstone. How could she explain that?

"You miss them, don't you?" Usagi asked, gently touching Hogoshi's arm. Her own eyes were a little teary. "We all miss them. But, it's been a year. They'd want you to get over their deaths." Hogoshi turned on the blonde girl. Digging her nails into her palms, it took all of her strength to keep from slapping the girl.

"Who are YOU to tell me I should get over it?" Hogoshi roared. Her green eyes blazed in fury. "They were my BEST friends and they were killed! They left me and they're NEVER coming back!" Usagi stared at the brunette with sad eyes.

"I didn't mean-"

"I don't CARE what you mean!" Hogoshi continued, her voice cold. "You have NEVER felt so alone before. But I have. So you can't say what you mean because you don't know!" With that, Hogoshi stormed away. Rei walked up to Usagi's side.

"It's okay," Rei said softly, holding the girl's shoulders firmly. "Let her be. We can't heal her feelings so just let her be alone for awhile." Usagi nodded and stared off at the retreating figure. How was she supposed to know? She wanted to help the grieving girl, but how could she? How?

"The time has come for the revelation to become a reality," a voice hissed through the darkness.

"Already?" another, lighter voice asked. It belonged to a tiny, dark red-haired girl. She stared at the first speaker quizzically. "It came much faster this time. Is there something wrong with time space gate?" The taller girl looked at a glowing orb in front of her. Her eyes were grim and so was the expression on her face.

"I'm afraid so, Scorpio," she said, her voice soft and silvery. She gently cradled the small ball in her arms. "The time space gate is not being watched by the sacred guardian. Odd."

The two sailor senshi had gathered in dark oblivion. They had always been locked away in that living hell for as long as they could remember. Nearly an entire millennium ago. The air was dead, carrying only the sweet, silent hum of the glass orb. It was the only light in the room.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Scorpio asked the soldier of discipline, Capricorn. Her green eyes had a hazy look in them. Capricorn shook her head, staring intensely at the tiny thing of a soldier.

"No," she whispered. Scorpio, who had known her longer than a lifetime possible, knew she was lying. Always fond of Sailor Pluto herself, the soldier of forgiveness knew that Capricorn was extremely worried over the sailor senshi of the Silver Millennium.

But anxiety of the other soldiers was the least bit of their worries.

Author's Note: (grins) I think of all the arcs I've written for CosmicStars, "The Second Mobius" is my overall favourite. It was the longest story I had ever written at the time, clocking in at 278 pages. (Now, just one of my new chapters is a fourth so long). I adored this one compared to "Reawakening".

A small little note: "The Second Mobius" was originally called "Elements for Eternity", but when the storyline changed, the title changed. And you've noticed that a year has passed between episode 218 and 219 – as if that really makes any sense. An entire year? Hey, there's a reason for this. I don't know what the reason is, but I'm sure it'll occur to you later during the arc.

See you in the next chapter.


	2. Episode 220

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 220: Return of the soldier of innocence? Usagi's troubles**

("Get out and get free!")

("Don't stay locked up in this prison!")

("Stay away from here!")

("The darkness is overpowering!")

(Usagi stared through the darkness. She had a funny feeling that she was dreaming and pinched herself. No pain. She was dreaming. Sitting down on the cold, wet ground, she stared bleakly through the heavy mist.

("Who's there?" she asked in a bored voice. She hated when she found out she was dreaming. "Mamo-chan? Is this the cake dream?")

("Please, stay away!")

("Don't come any closer!")

("No, oh god, no! Help us!")

(Usagi clapped her hands over her ears, trying to clock out the screams. The cries were full of anguish and pain. They were screaming. Screaming as if their lives were being taken in a brutal horrible way.)

("NOOOOO!" came a long, piercing cry. Then there was silence. Absolute silence. Tears fell down Usagi's cheeks, the cries being repeated over and over again in her mind.)

("Stop," Usagi moaned in a fear stricken voice. "Stop. STOP!!!!")

Usagi woke up with a start. She was covered in cold sweat. Her breathing was gasped. Shaking uncontrollably, she began crying. It was a long, mournful cry of the people who had been killed in her dreams. In HER dreams.

There was a shuffle on the other side of the door. It slowly creaked open and Usagi's mother walked into the room. "Usagi?" she asked, staring at the blonde. "Are you okay?"

"Nooo," Usagi moaned, covering her face with her blanket. It was already soaked. She tried saying more, but her voice was lost to her. She kept seeing, in her mind's eye, a horrible murder. Repeatedly.

"It's okay," her mother said, sitting down next to her. She stroked the girl's soft hair. Usagi wanted her to stop. She wasn't her mother. Her mother died nearly thousands of years ago and she hadn't seen her since. Usagi let the woman stroke her hair for awhile. After a long period of time, she got up and left the room.

"NOOOOO!"

Usagi buried her face in her hands. Why? Why?

She looked outside. The sun was gone and it had been for a couple of hours now. The sky was cloudy and brooding, predicting a storm. Usagi didn't know why, but she wanted to leave. To escape and never come back.

Shakily getting out of bed, Usagi pulled off her pajamas and dressed into black overalls and pink sweatshirt. Carefully pulling her hair into her much loved style, she looked in the mirror. This wasn't the Usagi she had known a year ago. It was true, what Hogoshi said. The loss of the outer soldiers had effected them greatly.

Who was this girl she was staring at? Gone was the playfulness and cheerfulness that had once been in her eyes. It was gone by a more mature and sorrowful look. Her eyes no longer sparkled as they had done once. The child innocence, gone. The realization of ultimate death had shocked her to the core. She had never recovered although everybody thought she had. The childish Usagi was gone. Dead.

Dead. Usagi hated that word. Every time she thought of it, it always reminded her of the final moments Pluto had given them. When death had taken over her body. No breathing. No heartbeat. Cold nothingness. Nothing…

Making sure everyone was asleep, Usagi tiptoed down the stairs. She was as quiet as a mouse. She carefully opened the front door and walked out into the night.

Where to go in this silence? No one was up at this hour. Even the sky was asleep. Wishing she had brought an umbrella, Usagi ventured out into the darkness. To the park. Yes! That's where she should go. No one was there and no one could find her.

Her thoughts were cluttered. This hateful life as being Sailor Moon had always brought her sorrow and regret. She was always saying good-bye to good people. Ending lives, starting new lives. She hadn't been the big action Sailor Moon she used to be. To the world, she no longer existed. It was someone who they had once heard of.

Staring out at the park, Usagi hesitantly looked for a bench with a little bit of a view. She needed to think. She had been doing a lot of thinking lately and had surprised all the soldiers when she started passing tests with flying colors.

Sitting on a bench that overlooked at large pond, Usagi sat with her head in her hands. There was a thundering boom in the distance. Usagi knew that if she didn't leave soon, she'd be caught in a downpour.

Unwilling to move, Usagi sat still as the rain began. It soaked her hair and her clothes. It continued raining, chilling her to the bone. Usagi didn't move, her face expressionless. Death. Was that what she was asking for? She remembered only thinking about those sorrowful eyes that had been taken over by death.

Everything went black.

("Usagi-chan…you don't deserve death." Usagi looked around for the source of the voice. She saw a figure standing over in the darkness. Tall, muscular built. A boy?)

("You can't do this," the voice said again, walking toward the blonde odango-atama. It was very foggy and she could hardly see the person. She made out the blue-gray eyes that seemed to be regarding her. The person's hair was short and windblown.)

("Do I know you?" Usagi asked, thinking that she knew this person. The sailor outfit worn by this person was clearly visible. The person shook her head.)

("No," the person said shortly, her silver hair changing. It lengthened to her waist, except for two pigtails that were hung from black ties and only reached her shoulders. "Save and pray for this doomed planet.")

("I can't.")

("Yes, you can. Because they are still with you. They will always be with you." There was a blinding flash of light.)

Usagi woke up, blinking. She was in her room, staring up at the ceiling. She had somehow been tucked under her blankets. Shivering, she struggled to sit up.

"Usagi-chan!" Mako gasped, staring over at the sailor soldier. Her eyes were wide in relief. She ran over and hugged the girl. "We were so worried." Usagi saw that the other girls, minus Hogoshi, were sitting around her bed, with worried looks on their faces.

"What happened?" Usagi asked, her voice heavy. She stared at Rei with huge blue eyes. Rei stared back at her, her violet eyes heavy with fatigue and relief.

"You don't remember?" she asked, grasping Usagi's clammy hand. "You passed out, I think. Nearly dead. You wouldn't be here right now if Chibi...I mean, Lady Usagi hadn't found you." Usagi stared at Rei with question marks in her eyes. Lady Usagi?

"Who's Lady Usagi?" Usagi asked, staring at all her friends for an explanation. They all just stared at her with empty eyes. Usagi got a sour look on her face. "Who on earth is Lady Usagi?"

"Me," a tinkling voice said. Usagi looked over to the door and saw a girl who looked to be about eight standing in the doorframe. Her hairdo resembled Usagi's, with pointed odangos. Her pink hair reached down to her shoulders in large pigtails. "I'm Lady Usagi." Usagi's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Chibiusa!?"

Author's Note: A subconscious attempted suicide by Usagi? It doesn't seem real, does it? Even if a year has passed however, the inner senshi have not yet been able to get over their friends' tragic deaths. It hit them too hard, and too close to home, knowing that they could have possibly done something to prevent Fate from taking its course. I guess it's some warped form of post-traumatic stress syndrome. I'm no psychoanalysis expert, but a loss that great is bound to affect you for just a few days, weeks, or months.

Well, I've thoroughly confused you for one day. More confusion in the next chapter.

Eat a pancake, why don'tcha, until then?


	3. Episode 221

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 221: The seven soldiers unite! A pretty gift for the princess**

"Chibiusa!?"

The pink-haired stared at her. "I used to be called that. But I'm no longer a chibi. I'm not a little girl as you can see." Usagi stared at Chibiusa...or um, Lady Usagi.

"Lady Usagi," Usagi whispered carefully, the name sounding funny on her lips. "Why'd you come back? Where's Luna Sphere and Diana? Why did you change your name?" Lady Usagi glared at the blonde odango-atama.

"What's with the third degree?" Lady Usagi asked sharply. Her red eyes were surprisingly dark and mature. "I came back because I felt like it, okay, baka? If that's a problem with you, then DEAL with it." Usagi then realized that the tragedy of losing both Setsuna and Hotaru had affected her so much it had turned her into this spiteful young woman.

"Where's Diana and Luna-P?" Minako asked, noticing that neither of the two had come with Chibiusa...or, that is, Lady Usagi. Lady scoffed.

"Luna-P? That childish toy," she muttered. "I destroyed it when I got back. I didn't even bother asking Diana if she wanted to come. She was getting on my nerves anyway."

The five young woman stared opened mouthed at the Lady who used to be so sweet. But who was this girl in front of them now? It couldn't be Chibiusa. Ami took a minute to study the faces of everyone else. They all looked so desolate and sorrowful ever since the tragedy occurred.

Just then, Hogoshi walked into the room. Her green eyes were wide with worried. "Usagi-chan!" She didn't notice Lady Usagi giving her an evil eye. She ran over to Usagi and hugged her tight.

"God, don't you ever do that to me again," Hogoshi sobbed. Tears fell down her cheeks. "Don't you ever scare me like that again." Lady Usagi's fury against the taller girl rose.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Lady Usagi screamed, her face pink with effort. She stormed over to Hogoshi, her red eyes burning. "Don't you touch her, you murderer!" Hogoshi stopped in mid-hug and pulled away from Usagi in shock. She turned and faced the shorter girl.

"Chibiusa?" she asked, her voice trembling. Lady Usagi's eyes were burning with an internal flame.

"I said get AWAY from her!" she screamed. "You TOOK away Setsuna and Hotaru and you expect me to let you anywhere near my MOTHER? The person responsible for my very existence!?" Hogoshi backed away from Usagi.

"I…"

"Stop it right now Chibiusa!" Usagi screamed. Everyone turned toward the girl in surprise. Her mature blue eyes were torn with grief and anger. Lady Usagi stared at the odango-atama, her red eyes huge.

"What?"

"You know good and well that Hogoshi-chan is NOT responsible for their deaths," Usagi fumed, getting out of bed. "You know it Chibiusa. You are NOT Lady Usagi, as you say. You are scared and you are sad. We've all been through it. Their loss affected us and shocked us to the core. It's been a year and we think we should be getting over it. But we can't because we lost four of our closest friends in death! And you think that you're sad, losing your two best friends, well what about the rest of us? Chibiusa, look at Hogoshi! She lost all four of them and they left a void in our hearts. A void that hasn't been filled in a year. A year! You CANNOT blame anyone. Because that wouldn't be fair, okay? Death isn't fair, but we get used to it. We get used to it..." By this time, Usagi was nearly hysterical with grief and had to stop speaking. She collapsed onto her bed and began weeping.

Lady Usagi stared at her future mother. This wasn't the same clumsy crybaby she had left nearly a year ago. No...this was someone new. A more mature and graceful person who had been affected by tragedy was the Usagi in front of her now.

"My name…is Chibiusa," the tiny girl whispered. "I miss them. I miss them so much." Quietly, the little girl left the room. She didn't even look to see if anyone was following her. She didn't care.

Chibiusa walked outside. It was bright outside and the rain from last night was drying up. She stared at the sun. Her home was so far away. Not in miles, but in years. What if she could go to the past and stop Pu and the others from dying? No. Impossible.

But why not? She could travel through time and space easily. What's so different then going back by a year?

"Small Lady, time traveling is a very dangerous thing. You cannot go to an era where you already exist. Two people cannot exist in the same place at the same time. Rules forbid it so."

Chibiusa remembered when Pu had told her that, when she had first come back to 20th century. Sighing, she sat down on the front porch and buried her head in her hands. Never again. Never again would she let someone take away the people closest to her.

"Abracadabra, poof!" a sing-songy voice whispered. Chibiusa looked around and felt that something was nearby. She looked up at the sky. Nothing there. Who was singing?

"Abracadabra, poof!" the voice continued. Chibiusa felt something around her. As if something or someone was hugging her. Chibiusa looked around, but saw no one. She shivered. Weird.

"Abracadabra, poof!" the voice continued. Chibiusa began to get scared. What on earth...? Chibiusa thought she had enough of it and tried to get up. But something was holding her down. Physically.

Chibiusa gasped and began to struggle. "Oh, god. Let me go..." But the invisible force kept her down. The voice kept singing the song over and over again. Chibiusa, scared stiff, looked around one more time. No one was there!

Suddenly, something began appearing around Chibiusa. A haziness, so thick she couldn't see through it.

"Abracadabra, poof!" the voice was louder this time. Chibiusa looked around. She was no longer on the porch, but in the middle of a large room. There were huge floor to ceiling windows, or doors, that extended to a promenade outside. She looked out at the promenade, which seemed to encircle the entire room. Chibiusa gasped when she saw the Earth from her view.

"Abracadabra, poof!" the voice said again. Chibiusa looked down and saw that she had somehow transformed into her princess dress. "Abracadabra… hello!" Chibiusa twirled around, the gossamer dress twirling around her feet. Her jaw dropped.

Standing behind her were the four princesses of the outer planets. They were staring at her gleefully. Chibiusa stared on, her mouth still hanging open.

"Don't look like that now, Usagi Small Lady Serenity," the princess of Neptune whispered. Her aqua satin dress was gorgeous on her, of course. She giggled. "It's rude to keep your mouth hanging open like that." Chibiusa immediately clamped it shut.

"H-how? No, w-what?" Chibiusa sputtered, staring at the four outer princesses. "W-who? B-but..." Princess Uranus shook her head, groaning.

"Just like her mother," she said, her sandy blonde locks tossing back and forth. "Always a one for words."

"But, you're..." Chibiusa began, but then found a loss of words. She stared at the four princesses. "You're...not supposed to be...you're...a year ago..."

"Abracadabra, poof!" Princess Pluto whispered, approaching the chibi princess. Chibiusa stared at Pluto. This was the voice that had called her? Setsuna raised her hand in the air and something glistened above it. Chibiusa stared on.

"Say this when you're sad," the princess of Pluto said as the form above her hand began to darken. "And you won't be sad anymore. It's a magic spell." The form above her hand transformed into a very familiar shape.

"Luna Sphere!" Chibiusa cried in a mixture of delight and excitement. The cat's head floated down towards her and she happily grabbed it. Her eyes were full of tears. "I thought..."

"It's okay, Small Lady," Pluto whispered as her figure started disappearing. Chibiusa stared in horror as they began to dim quickly.

"Wait, Hotaru-chan! Pu! Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Chibiusa called. She ran towards them. "Don't go!" A ghostly smile flashed over Saturn's face.

"Good-bye, Chibiusa-chan…we'll be waiting for you." Then, all four disappeared in a shower of sparks. Chibiusa stared on as the scene shimmered and was replaced by the front porch of the house.

Was I dreaming? Chibiusa thought, but then looked at the robotic toy in her arms. No, it wasn't a dream. So that means, she had actually seen the outer soldiers? But…

How?

Author's Note: Wow, talk about some serious bipolar disorders for Chibiusa. Total pissy one minute, and the next she's crying like a baby. Actually, if you didn't guess by Usagi's swansong, Chibiusa was putting on an act. She wasn't really Lady Usagi, but coming back to the past meant having to face reality. She couldn't face it as she had been a year ago, so she mentally tried to prepare herself by changing her name, and leaving behind the things of her childhood, namely Luna-P. She wanted to be mature enough to deal with the deaths of her two closest friends. But Usagi, being her mother, saw through her act right away when Chibiusa reverted to her burning hatred of Hogoshi.

Explained well enough? All right. Time for the next chapter.


	4. Episode 222

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 222: Soldiers of the revelation? The revelation of sacrifice**

Chibiusa walked back inside Usagi's room, staring intensely at the small ball in her hands. The others turned to stare at her. Noticing Luna Sphere in her arms, questions appeared in their eyes.

"Chibiusa?" Usagi asked. She was sitting up in bed, tears running down her face. She quickly wiped them away. "Luna-P. I thought it was destroyed."

"Me too."

The others stared at Chibiusa, but her face seemed to be as confused as she said. Chibiusa stared up to them. "You're not going to believe this."

"What?" Hogoshi dared to ask, hoping that Chibiusa wouldn't snap at her like she did last time. Chibiusa just stared blankly at Hogoshi, but walked up to the edge of the bed. Setting Luna-P down, she plopped onto the edge of the bed.

"I was outside when...I was transported into a vision," Chibiusa began slowly. She grabbed Luna Sphere and held it under her chin. "We were in this big room, like a room from the moon. I was wearing my princess dress and they were wearing their princess dresses."

"Wait, who's 'we' and 'they'?" Rei asked. Her violet eyes were curious. "There is someone other then you in this vision." Chibiusa nodded her head.

"The princesses of the outer planets," she said softly. Everyone's mouth dropped to the floor, staring at the odango-atama moonchild intently. Chibiusa shrugged.

"I know it was a vision, but how did I get Luna-P?" she wondered out loud. The others were silent in thought. That was a good question. How did she get her favorite toy back?

Hogoshi struggled desperately not to cry. The memory of those four echoed through her mind and tore at her already wounded heart. But she found herself crying, silent tears spilling down her cheeks. She prayed for the others not see her. This was already too much. Too much.

Usagi noticed the tears, but kept her mouth shut. She looked over at her calendar by her desk, which was piled with manga and books on history, physics, and math. Saturday already. She wanted to get up and do something. Anything was better than moping about in the past.

"We have to get out of here and do something," Chibiusa said, as if she had been reading Usagi's thoughts. The two odango-atama girls looked at each other. Chibiusa smiled. Usagi looked at the girl's red eyes oddly. Did that same thin line of annoyance run between them? That "hate" which had existed a year ago? No. After losing four close friends, such things seemed so trivial. Why waste life arguing over the simplest things? Life was too precious to waste. Usagi smiled back.

"I agree," she said, then looked over at Minako in alarm. "I can do that, right? I'm not sick or anything?" Minako shook her head.

"Nope," she replied. "Just a little tired, so don't overexert yourself when we go out." Usagi grinned playfully. Hogoshi stared at the giggling princess for a second, her fury boiling within her. Did she think this was all a joke? Then, Hogoshi realized, ashamed. The princess was just trying to cheer everybody up. She was never one for gloomy situations. She just wanted everybody to be happy while sticking to reality.

"Good idea," Hogoshi agreed, wiping away her tears. For the first time in a long while, she smiled. It was time to reveal her true personality that had been blighted in the dark for over a thousand years.

"Let's go then!"

"The revelation's time will start in exactly five minutes," the tall soldier whispered. She closed her eyes as she felt the humming sensation deep in her soul. "I can feel it. We have little time this millennium to complete the ordeal. The talisman must be found."

The tiny, red-haired soldier stared at the glowing white orb in ecstasy. The revelation of the soul was one of her least favorites, but it meant, even if only for a short time, that she could be released into the waking dimension.

"Complete our mission," Scorpio said. Her green eyes wavered. "Never to be deterred from anything except that. Risk anything and everything." Suddenly, she laughed. "I sound like a certain senshi. I got a little too carried away." Capricorn glowered at the tiny girl, but it was a loving glower.

"The revelation's main purpose is to keep the sailor soldiers safe from their own selves...seeing what happened...it's always been my fault," she replied, her voice cracking. "We only sacrifice the soldier of the midnight realm. She'll remember. She was always a good actor." Scorpio nodded sadly. The soldier of sacrifice whose main purpose in life was to die...for no reason at all. There was no other way. Either she died or the hidden truth of the sailors' pasts would be revealed...much too early.

"It's beginning," Capricorn suddenly yelped. She stared at the glowing orb. "The revelation of life and sacrifice is beginning! The revelation. Scorpio, you know how it goes. Recite."

"Okay," Scorpio whispered as the glowing white orb began humming a beautiful melody. The music filled their hearts, but only for this short time. The revelation must be recited and quickly.

"_There goes forth a beautiful soul_

_One in which lies a hidden past foretold_

_A race of immortal beings of each_

_The heir her hand must be reached._

_To this revelation I speak_

_The maiden, her guardians forward to seek_

_Are to protect this planet just for now_

_And pray and save this energy somehow_

_A rod that draws forth what you've dreamt_

_But ends your life, this element_

_A long forgotten time beyond many years_

_The time is now to start to fear_

_Star light, star bright_

_First star I see tonight_

_I see this wish, this revelation_

_Be granted, this very wish, tonight_."

The white orb hummed slowly as it accepted the spoken revelation, the key to its beginning. The orb glowed brighter and brighter and then expanded into a large, exquisite door. Capricorn and Scorpio stared, ready to accept the tragic revelation that was entrusted into their hands.

"We have very little time," Capricorn reminded the tiny soldier next to her. "We will start searching right away." Scorpio nodded as stared at the glowing white door. She took a step towards it, then stopped.

"Wait!" she called, grabbing Capricorn's black-gloved hand. "We can't leave without Sailor Midnight's guardian. She is the one who will explain everything to her." Capricorn blushed from the realization.

"Oh, yes, of course," Capricorn replied. She looked into the air. "I guess I'll have to say this revelation. You rest." Scorpio nodded, not wanting to interfere. Reciting a revelation always zapped your energy. That's why most people recite the "star light, star bright" part at night. They'll be able to recover energy by sleeping. Even thought they didn't recite the entire revelation, it was still exhausting.

Capricorn turned her gray-blue eyes upward, clasping her hands together. Asking for the guardian was a small revelation, from the book of the positive balance, yet it was still tiring. She clasped her hands together as though she were praying. Closing her eyes, she concentrated.

"_Guardian of the soldier of sacrifice_

_Yet again we do call on you assistance_

_To protect the soldier and train her_

_For the revelation has started once more_."

Capricorn opened her eyes and wiped her brow. The revelation was taking awfully long to reach her. There was a slight stirring in the air.

Suddenly, a small cat appeared in Capricorn's arms. Her fur was white with black, gray, and orange splotches all over. Her curious violet eyes were gazing up into Capricorn's. The violet collar around her neck had a little star bell on it. An odd shaped golden symbol was on her forehead. It was shaped like the letter O with a moon insignia inside.

"Capricorn!" the cat yelled in delight. Her eyes sparkled. "I'm so glad to see you!" Capricorn smiled.

"Good to see you as well, Selene," she said. Scorpio walked up to her side. Selene was overjoyed.

"Scorpio!" she gasped, jumping over the smaller soldier. She was still practically a kitten so she could easily fit on the red-haired soldier's shoulder. She licked the girl's face. "I'm so happy."

After a greeting from Scorpio, Selene raised her head to look around her. Her violet eyes became sad suddenly. "The revelation has started, hasn't it?" Capricorn felt sorry the tiny cat.

"I'm afraid so," she said. "Sailor Midnight will once again need your guidance and training before her sacrifice. You can find her, can't you?" The cat sorrowfully nodded her head.

"Yes, yes, of course," Selene whispered in response. She jumped down from Scorpio's shoulder, walking slowly to the door. "I hate doing this to her. Every time she's reborn, I have to tell her life as she knows it is over in a matter of days. I hate doing that…" Her voice disappeared as she stepped through the door.

Scorpio and Capricorn looked at each other. They knew Selene hated her job of telling Midnight her destiny. Selene loved Midnight so much, it tore her heart to watch the sacrifice.

"Let's go then," Scorpio whispered, forcing the thoughts from her mind. She walked towards the door. "We'll leave it to destiny in order for us to be materialized in that world. Especially after those demons in the Silver Millennium took it upon themselves to destroy our past bodies."

Capricorn nodded in agreement. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through the door with Scorpio right behind her.

Author's Note: Enter the infamous Capricorn and Scorpio. In order to understand their purpose, you, the reader, are going to have to look very carefully at what they say and act. Often, entire plot points are hidden in their speech by means of double entendres. Fun, eh?

This entire arc goes out to Sake-chan, whose fault it is for making me literally rewrite the entire plot to "The Second Mobius", and consequently, CosmicStars as well. Thanks a lot, Sake-chan. --;

Onto the next chapter, friends!


	5. Episode 223

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 223: Mysterious new ways. The soldier of sacrifice awakened**

"I didn't hear you!"

"Hey, hey, put that down. Hey, put ME down!" Chibiusa shrieked, bopping Usagi upside the head with her pink inflated baseball bat. Usagi shrieked and bopped Chibiusa back with her pink inflated bat. Chibiusa screamed and they began hitting each other with their prizes.

The girls had walked over to a carnival that had just recently set up just outside of Juuban District court. Chibiusa and Usagi were holding bags full of goodies. The other five girls watched the two, embarrassed. They were each holding cotton candy cones.

"Would you two, like, quit it?" Mako asked, rolling her green eyes. She stared at the two odango-atamas as they shrieked and bopped each other again and again. "Act your age. Usagi-chan, you're supposed to be setting the example. You're seventeen, for crying out loud!" Usagi delivered one last bop to the tiny girl's head.

"Sure, Mako-chan," she replied. Chibiusa glared at her future mother, but her glare didn't last long. She looked past her mother and saw a large booth. It was decorated in clouds, moons, and stars. Chibiusa's eyes lit up.

"Oooh, look at that," she gasped, her eyes gleaming. Usagi looked over and her eyes got the same look in them. They rushed over to the booth, careful not to bump into the thick crowd. The two odango-atamas stared at all the goodies the booth packed.

"Oooh, glass kaleidoscopes!" Usagi breathed, touching the silver one closest to her. She held it up to her eyes and saw the many colors change through the eyepiece. "So pretty..." Chibiusa gazed over at all the exotic, gorgeous dream-like toys. There were glass yo-yos and beautiful star and moon pendants. Her eyes caught the gleaming rings and the large stuffed animals as well.

"It's gorgeous," she whispered as she looked at the booth name. 'Moon Over Tokyo'. "What a pretty name."

"You like it?"

The two girls looked up and saw a very pretty girl standing in front of her. Her skin was medium-toned and her gorgeous purple curls were held by two red hairballs. Her ruby-red eyes gazed at the two girls. Usagi smiled.

"Yes, you have a beautiful booth," she said. Her five other friends walked up to Usagi, staring at all the beautiful items on display. "It's so moony and dream-like." The girl smiled.

"Oh, uh, thank you," she whispered, blushing. Ami noticed and looked at the tag of a large stuffed cat. Her blue eyes read the script-like penmanship on the card.

"Hmmm, these are handmade," she noticed as she looked at the tags on each category of toys and jewelry. "By someone named Meino Keiko-san. That's a pretty name." Hogoshi noticed the girl was blushing tremendously now. Her cheeks were completely red.

"By any chance, are you Meino-san?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. The girl nodded shyly, obviously embarrassed. The others looked at her, amazed. Chibiusa couldn't believe that she had made kaleidoscopes. That must have taken a long time to make.

"How long does it take to make all of this, Meino-san?" Chibiusa asked, staring at the toys. Keiko flinched at the formality of the name.

"Please, call me Kei," she said. Pointing her hand to each of the items, she smiled. "The pendants take about a half hour to make. The stuffed animals take around two hours each. The yo-yo's take about an hour and a half. The rings take about twenty minutes. But these…" she glanced over at the glass kaleidoscopes, "take about twelve hours."

"Where do you find the time?" Rei asked, her eyes growing large. Kei shrugged. "I mean, I can never find enough hours in the day as it is."

"Have you ever thought about the hours at night?"

Rei blushed. "Night? Isn't that when you're supposed to be sleeping?" Kei laughed, a harmonious, joyful laugh. Usagi could've sworn she had heard that laugh some place before. Weird.

"Well, yes of course," Kei replied, gently touching a glass kaleidoscope with her fingers. A smile spread across her face. "Because that's when I dream. Dream of a beautiful palace with mystical creatures and gorgeous princesses with their handsome princes." A misty look filled the girl's eyes. "Back in a long forgotten time...a silver era...a moon kingdom...with a beautiful heir to the throne...and her four guardians...beautiful, serene time for all..."

The seven girls stared open mouthed and wide eyed at the girl. Suddenly they felt something wrong. They all glanced at each other and saw that the symbols of their planets were glowing on their foreheads. Quickly, they glanced at the ground, blushing.

"A soldier, a soldier from that time...and her four, no, eight guardians," Kei continued, but suddenly stopped. The moment was over. Her eyes became unhazy as she smiled at the girls. "So, are you going to buy something?" The girls looked at each other and saw that the weird phenomenon was over. Their foreheads had returned to normal.

"Um, I think I'll buy a ring," Usagi whispered, trying to sound cheerful. She picked up a silver one with a pink stone in the middle. "You want one, Chibiusa-chan?" Chibiusa nodded, her cheeks flushed. Usagi pinked up a smaller, but identical one.

"I'll get one too," Hogoshi declared and chose a silver ring with a silver stone. Ami fingered with a ring that boasted a blue stone while Rei gently touched a ring with red stone. Mako tried on one of the little pieces with a green stone, but Minako was already handing three yen over for a ring with an orange stone. Each of the girls handed over the cost.

"Bye, Kei-chan!" Usagi called over her shoulder. The others also waved good-bye. Hogoshi then turned back around towards the booth. Minako stopped.

"Hogoshi-chan?" she asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Hogoshi assured. Her green eyes twinkled. "I forgot something." Minako nodded and left to catch up with the others. Hogoshi walked back towards the booth and saw Kei waiting for her.

"I guessed you forgot something," Kei asked and handed over four rings. Each one boasted different stone: dark blue, aqua, black, and violet. Hogoshi's eyes widened.

"How'd you know?" she gasped, taking the rings gently in her palm. They glittered in the sunlight. Kei shrugged.

"I just had this feeling that you'd come back for those rings," she replied. Hogoshi brought out her purse, ready to pay for the rings. Kei put her hand on Hogoshi's and shook her head. "No, it's free. Don't give it another thought."

"But..." Kei turned her back, showing that the conversation was clearly over. Hogoshi walked away in a daze. How on earth had that girl known she had come back for more rings? And more surprising, how did she know she wanted the rings in those colors?

Strange.

It was late by the time the carnival closed. Kei had boxed up everything that was left and put on her deep blue jacket. The temperature had dropped quickly and a cold breeze was passing through the grounds. Kei had sold nearly everything that was in her booth that day and had very little to carry. She smiled as she gently picked up a medium-sized brown box.

"Meino-san, I'll clean up for you," Beenie said. The short janitor popped up around the corner. Kei flashed an adorable, lopsided smile. Beenie smiled.

"Thank you so much Beenie-chan," she said sweetly. Her red eyes sparkled. "You're too kind." Beenie blushed and went about his work. Kei grinned and walked out to the entrance of the carnival.

Kei knew this route too well as she began her walk to her apartment building. She easily held the box in her arms, but delicately. There were three glass kaleidoscopes in there.

Rounding the corner to the Juuban Avenue, Kei felt oddly as though she were being followed. She quickened her pace as she looked up at the violet colored sky dotted with glittering stars. She remembered earlier that day when the two odango-atamas and their friends had come to her booth. Why on earth did they stick out more then any of the other customers?

"They were just so cute," Kei murmured to herself. She thought about the brunette girl who had come back for those four rings. She wondered to herself. How did she know about those four rings? Strange things always happened to her. "I wouldn't blame her for looking at me funny."

Kei continued walking and before long reached her apartment building which was more like a mansion than an apartment. She opened the revolving doors and smiled towards Meria, the doorman…or doorwoman. Meria smiled back.

"Your papa wants to talk to you," Meria whispered as Kei walked past. Kei stopped walking. Her father was a good man, gently hearted and sweet. But whenever he wanted to talk to Kei, he changed dramatically. Meria smiled at Kei's suddenly gloomy face.

"Ah, don't worry," Meria assured. Her orange eyes twinkled. "He was in a cheery mood, fella was." Meria was from England and had faltering Japanese. But her accent was from the Oxford variety and she could burst out into a good bit of cute Cockney when over emotional.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," Kei said, waving good-bye. She boarded the elevator and pressed the number 10, the penthouse she lived in. Her father was very wealthy and had bought the entire 10th floor penthouse.

Kei leaned back against the gold bar of the elevator as she checked her appearance in the mirror. She brushed back a purple curl and sighed. She knew she was beautiful. All of her girl and guy "friends" had penetrated that fact into her head. She was smart, one of top students at her school. And she had a wealthy father who was kind to her. What more could she want?

Kei sighed as the elevator number skipped floor seven and continued on to floor eight. What more could she want? She was at the top of everything. Academics, social life, wealth. Everything seemed to go for her. Was she so spoiled that she wanted more than what she already had? Those seven girls she had met today…could they be the missing link?

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open and Kei stepped out, holding the box firmly in her hand. She walked down the end of the short hall and brought out her key. Turning the key in the door, she opened the door.

"Daddy?" Kei called, closing the door behind her, stepping into the large living room. "Daddy, I'm home."

"Koko, is that you?" a deep, male voice asked from the study. Kei flinched at the nickname. Her father always called her that. It was embarrassing, even without friends in her presence. She set the box down a corner and strode across the white and gray marble floor to the study.

Inside, a handsome man with whitish blonde hair sat behind a dark mahogany desk. Kei looked warily at her father. He looked up, revealing warm, honest brown eyes.

"Welcome home, Koko," he said, smiling. He beckoned her to come closer with his hand. Kei walked closer to her father and stood in front of his desk. Taking a deep breath, she smiled.

"Daddy, am I in trouble?" she asked, putting on a mischievous grin. Her father looked at her and grinned as well. Kei inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't too serious, hopefully.

"I'm going to Germany."

"What!?" Kei gasped, looking at her father in horror. Her father was a doctor. Why would he need to go to Germany? "Why, Daddy?"

The man chuckled. "It's only for three weeks, sweet. I have to go over there and train some new doctors. It's going to be in Berlin. An entire conference for new doctors -  a once in a lifetime opportunity, Keiko." Seeing the look in his daughter's eyes wasn't changing, the man reached for her hand over the desk.

"I'm sorry I have to go, Keiko," he said, his voice really sounding as if he was sorry. "But I can't pass this up." Kei was struggling not to cry.

"Daddy…don't leave me," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I don't want you to leave." Kei's father sighed, but shook his head. Kei pulled her hand away.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"Tuesday at 5:00 a.m." Kei nodded and turned to leave. Just before she left, her father said. "I'm sorry, I really am."

Kei shut the door behind her. She walked back across the living room to her large bedroom.

Kei didn't even bother turning on a light. Tears threatened to fall from her huge red eyes. She flopped down on her huge four-poster bed and cried. Her father was always leaving. It was a wonder they ever had time to bond. But...he was her only family. Kei's mother had died when she was only five and she never had any brothers or sisters. So now, with only one family member left, how was she supposed to take care of herself?

"Spoiled, spoiled," she cried into her pillow. That missing link would never come. She'd always be torn to and from this perfect façade. The façade at school and public where she was shy, but popular and smart and the façade at home where her family was totally screwed, but wealthy. The thought of it made Kei's head spin. She cried all the tears she could muster into her pillow. What more could she want?

Love. Kei realized this with a start. She wanted a lover. But all of her friends would never be more than friends. They were the giggling, laughing type of friends. Not the kind she could get serious with. After all, her male friends all had girlfriends. And anyone who approached her was never her type. Why couldn't she find that special someone? Someone who could understand her...and she could understand as well. It hurt to think about it.

There was a creak.

Kei spun towards the window that had opened mysteriously. A small, dark figure sat hunched on the windowsill. She stared hard. "Who's there?" she whispered. There was no answer. Kei turned from the window. She was imagining things.

"Meow." Kei sat straight up in her bed and turned toward the small figure in the window. Her eyes widened.

"Neko-chan?" she thought. She looked at the tiny thing of a cat whose large purple eyes were regarding her carefully. "A cat? What's a cat doing all the way up here. You should get out of that window, kitty. That's a ten story drop."

"I heard cats always land on their feet," the cat said. Kei's jaw dropped as she stared at the cat that had come into the moonlight. She was small calico cat with a purple collar and a star bell.

"You...you...just talked!" Kei sputtered. She glared at the cat as she sat dumbfounded on her bed. "C-c-cats aren't...supposed to talk..." She looked at the collar on the cat. "Is there a microphone in that? No? I'm dreaming. Yeah, that's it. I'm dreaming. When I wake up, Daddy won't go to Germany and there won't be a talking cat in my room."

"Get up," the cat demanded, jumping on the bed. She sat next to the shocked girl. "Not all cats talk, yes I know that. Only guardian kitties do. I'm a guardian kitty, so I talk."

"I don't believe it. Aren't people supposed to have guardian angels?"

"I won't answer that," the cat said, pouting. "Maybe you're not the girl I'm looking for." Kei's head snapped up as the cat walked back towards the window.

"Hey, wait!" she called. The calico stopped and peered back at Kei. Kei got off the bed and kneeled next to the cat. "Even if it is a dream, I might as well go for it right? I mean, I've always liked dreams like this."

"What if I told you're awake?" Kei sighed.

"I'd have to believe you." The cat smiled at her honesty. She turned back toward the girl who was still staring at her.

"So, you're ready to listen?" she asked. Kei nodded. "Okay, my name is Selene. I'm your guardian cat. I've come here to train you and guide you on your destiny." Kei's eyes widened.

"Guide me? Where am I going?" she asked, staring intently at Selene. Selene smiled sadly.

"Nowhere," she said. "I'm here to guide you mentally and train you physically and mentally. You're Sailor Midnight, soldier of sacrifice." Kei couldn't believe what she was hearing. She, Meino Keiko, was a sailor soldier!?

"I'm a sailor soldier?" Kei asked. "Like Sailor Moon and the others?" Selene nodded, looking Keiko right in the eyes. "Oh, man. Now I know I'm dreaming."

"If you're dreaming, then this won't hurt," Selene hissed, biting her teeth into the fleshly part of Kei's hand. Kei yelped in pain.

"Okay, okay, I believe you," Kei moaned, cradling her injured hand. "Just don't do that anymore." Selene nodded and then looked around the room. She seemed to be looking for something.

"Do you have something very dear to you that might hold some emotional power?" Selene asked, looking back up at Kei. Did there seem to be some sadness in her voice and wasn't there a shiny look to the cat's eyes as if she wanted to cry? Kei shook it off.

"I have a glass kaleidoscope my mother had made for me when I was three," Kei suggested. "Would that help?" Selene nodded and Kei got up. Her head was spinning. Funny how quickly she got used to talking to a cat.

Kei walked over to a dark blue velvet box on her desk. She saw the intricate silver key lying next to it. Gently picking it up, she inserted the key into the box and turned it slowly. There was a click as the box popped open. Inside, on blue velvet lay a stunning silver and glass kaleidoscope. She gently picked up and was reminded of her mother.

She brought the kaleidoscope over to her guardian cat. The cat smiled. "Yes, this'll do quiet nicely." The golden symbol on Selene's forehead glowed brightly. A beam from the symbol went straight towards the kaleidoscope.

"Hey!" Kei cried, dropping object on the floor. The toy glowed under the golden light for a second and then shrunk. Kei stared at her beloved toy before it stopped glowing. The kaleidoscope had transformed into a smoky glass locket trimmed with silver that had dark blue and purple designs of twelve stars on it. Each star has a sign from the zodiac imprinted on it. Each sign glittered with different kaleidoscopic colors.

"Pretty," Kei breathed. Selene nodded.

"That's your own special transformation brooch," she said wisely. "Now raise it above your head and shout 'Midnight zodiac power, make up'!" Kei nodded and raised the kaleidoscope locket above her head.

"Midnight zodiac power, make UP!" Kei shouted. A multitude of colors burst from the locket and surrounded the girl. She spun around several times, the locket firm on her chest. She felt extraordinary power running through her body. Her fuku glowed white before darkening in colors. The sign of midnight glowed on her forehead before being replaced by her tiara. Flipping her hair dramatically, she ended in her end pose: right hand flaring over her forehead and her left hand down at her side. Her legs were crossed.

"Oh, my god!" Kei cried, looking at her sailor outfit. Her skirt and collar were all midnight blue, while her front and back bows were bloody crimson. Her locket had turned into a gold button. Her white gloves came to her elbow and lined in midnight blue and midnight crimson. A gold tiara was set on her forehead and had a midnight blue gem inside of it. Her boots came to her knees and were white with a gold trim and a midnight blue symbol on the point.

"Ah, yes, you are the soldier of sacrifice," Selene said, but her voice didn't sound happy. Midnight noticed that sadness in it. Her red eyes filled with worry and apprehension.

"Soldier of sacrifice?" Midnight asked. "What does that mean? I have to kill people!?" Selene shook her head.

"No, but it's time you received your memories. Now don't fidget, this won't hurt."

Author's Note: I notice now that Keiko is Mary Sue like. Hmm...hopefully, that will change as chapters progress. Who realized that she was the senshi of sacrifice? I believe that one shouldn't span entire chapters searching for someone (unless the entire plot is made up of that search). After all, we need to get to the action. (So I say when "Aeternum Vale" has the entire first act of Miaka and Taka searching the reincarnated Suzaku seishi...-sighs-)

What do you think so far? R&R, 'cause you all love Nashie tons.

Come on! The next chapter awaits us!


	6. Episode 224

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 224: The enemy revealed? Yomicha and Megumi make the scene!**

"So, I'm the soldier of sacrifice," Sailor Midnight said. Her tears had stopped falling by now. "I'm going to disappear?" Selene nodded, her own eyes teary. Midnight gasped back another round of tears. The memories didn't hurt her physically, but mentally.

In the past, she was the "forbidden" soldier. She was awakened for a purpose that a powerful sailor had set millions of years ago. Midnight automatically resented the sailor soldier who created her destiny. She hated her and that partner of hers. They had created the destiny of all the sailor soldiers. She, who was the forgotten leader of another group of senshi, had to be 'sacrificed' if she were born with the sailor senshi. She had to always stay with her senshi, or they would find a leader of their own and be corrupted by chaos. The new leader would take her name as the princess of the zodiac, which rightfully belonged to her, Sailor Midnight. She would have to be 'sacrificed' if she wanted her title and her senshi back. It was confusing and Midnight felt lightheaded just thinking about it.

"So, my only purpose in life is to mysteriously die and become leader and princess to a group of senshi I don't even know?" Midnight asked, her heart tearing. Selene knew this was hard on her.

"I'm sorry, Kei-chan," Selene whispered. "But this is the entire world we're talking about. Billions of lives are at stake here. If the sailor senshi found the truth, the evil will destroy them and the entire universe."

"No, no, no!" Midnight cried, burying her face in her hands. "I can't. I won't!" Selene shook her head as she nuzzled against the distraught soldier.

"Well, you know that in the past, soldiers have given up their lives to protect the princess and this earth," Selene reminded her. Midnight looked up at her. The others. Yes, she was sailor senshi, so that meant she had to fight along with Sailor Moon, the true princess, while she existed in this dimension.

"Who?"

"Well, just recently," Selene said, remembering what she had been told. "Around a year ago, the soldiers of the outer planets gave up their lives in order to protect the princess."

"Soldiers of the outer planets? Who on earth are they?"

"Sailors Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn." Midnight stared at Selene in horror. That was practically half the planets gone! Midnight, disgusted with her duty, quickly powered down. The gold button on her shirt turned backed into the kaleidoscope locket.

"So you're here to train me? I have to kill myself?"

"Oh, no," Selene assured. "Someone does that for you. You're a soldier of the revelation. Capricorn and Scorpio will be there to help you as I will be." Kei nodded, touching her locket.

"I'll try my best to fulfill my destiny and save this doomed planet," Kei said in a robotic voice. Selene saw the agony in Kei's eyes, but could do nothing to help her. Kei was fighting a battle inside and outside now, a battle that she could never win.

"Hmmph, the revelation has begun," snickered a voice from inside the shadows. The owner of the voice, a young girl with long black hair and a pale face stepped from the shadows. She wore a simple black sleeveless turtleneck dress with a slit that came to her thigh. Her harsh green eyes glistened. "They think they can outsmart me. No luck there. I have gained this title as princess of the zodiac. They will not get it back."

"Princess!" a voice called from the darkness. A figure ran from the darkness and to the young woman. Kneeling on knee, she bowed her head. "Urgent message. The gate between dimensions is open! The revelation has begun!"

"Really?" the girl asked, her voice harsh and bitter like the wind. Her eyes shone darkly. "I've already been aware of this, Sailor Pisces. You disgust me by how slow your system works." The teal-haired soldier lowered her head and bit her lip to keep from responding. Sometimes, she wished that they had found their true leader instead of this wanna-be.

"We can't go to the surface of that planet though," a richer voice noted dryly. Pisces got an impatient look on her face as a taller, pale blue-haired soldier sidled up to her. "The surface doesn't support our bodies. We'd die immediately. Probably something our soldier of discipline set up, heaven help her if I find her."

Pisces glared at Aquarius with all the hate and disgust she could muster. Aquarius grinned sarcastically.

"We need people from that planet to do our work," the Princess realized. She sighed. What fun was letting humans who could easily turn traitor do the work? The two senshi felt uneasy at the princess' troubled face. They walked back a step. Aquarius, too, sometimes did not like this leader...she angered too easily.

The princess sighed. "There have been rumors that that planet is being protected by rather strong forces. Anyone who has tried to take over has failed. Beryl, Death Phantom, Pharaoh 90, Nehelenia, and Galaxia and Chaos. All have fallen to those meddling sailor senshi of this planet." Pisces nodded.

"The sailor senshi are formidable," she announced. "We've been battling with them for ages, though our memories are slightly sketchy. All we know is that we're suppose to stop those girls of the revelation from getting the taboo talisman. If they get it, we will die." The Princess turned flaming green eyes towards Pisces. Aquarius cleared her throat.

"Strangely enough, the energy coming from that solar system is weak," she said. "It's as though some of the power from those planets there is gone. As if their guardians are dead."

The Princess regarded this for a second, her green eyes lost in thought. "So they wouldn't be as powerful. Hmmph. I guess we can go and attack." Concentrating, four shimmering lights shone in front of her. The light reflected off Pisces and Aquarius' faces.

"These are the four crystals of iniquity," Princess explained, her green eyes reflecting the light making her eyes cold and harsh. "Find four gullible humans and bring them back here." Aquarius and Pisces bowed elegantly.

"As you wish, my princess," the two sailor senshi said. Aquarius took the opportunity to say, "Consider it done." Pisces glared over at the girl, who always was on the charming edge.

The two senshi disappeared in a shower of aqua and blue sparks. Princess smiled at the four lights in front of her. Soon, the revelation would be ruined and she would remain leader to the just as powerful counterparts to the most powerful soldiers in the universe...the sailor senshi.. Princess laughed mechanically, looking over at her picture of the solar system they were entering.

All hers.

"Oh, I'm so bored," Minako brooded, twirling her straw in her soda. Her blue eyes were tired as she looked over at Mako and Rei. "I need a boyfriend." Mako nodded in agreement.

"I agree," she muttered, sipping her soda. "And it's so hot today. Thank goodness there's no school." Rei sighed, resting her head in her hands. The last time she fell for a really, really cute guy…when was that? A month ago, she thought. Where were all the cute guys lately?

"Hi, guys!" Hogoshi chirped from behind. The three girls smiled a response. Luna and Artemis, who were with them, smiled also. "Wow, you guys looked so depressed. What's up?"

"Nothing!" Minako sobbed, folding her arms and pouting. "I'm as bored as can be and I don't have a boyfriend!" Hogoshi laughed and decided to joke about courting again.

"She doesn't want to court," Rei whispered to Hogoshi. She smiled. "Joking wouldn't be a very good idea." Hogoshi nodded and decided not to get Minako in one of her bad moods. Mako shrugged and groaned loudly.

"So, what do we do today?" she asked, complaining. She yawned. "This Sunday is so lazy." Hogoshi shrugged and decided that the girls could use some excitement.

"Come with me," Hogoshi declared, tugging at their seats. Minako groaned as Hogoshi propped her up against her chair. "We'll go down to Juuban District Court and check out some of the stores over there. By the way, where are Usagi, Chibiusa, and Ami?"

"Usagi-chan and Chibiusa-chan are at home napping and Ami-chan is at home studying for a test tomorrow," Mako muttered, standing up to stretch. She stared at Hogoshi. "Why?"

"Just asking."

"Excuse me," Rei interrupted, getting to her feet also. Minako stayed seated, pouting. "Does it matter why? It's something other to do than just sit here and mope."

"I wanna sit here and mope," Minako complained, but Artemis sat in front of her, his blue eyes glaring.

"You are going," he said, keeping his voice low. "'Cause I don't want to hear you complain all day that you're bored."

"Ugh, you're no fun Artemis."

"I know."

Minako got to her feet and stared down at the two cats. "I'm going. Tell Usagi and Chibiusa that we went down to Juuban District Court in case they want to come." Luna nodded and jumped from the outdoor café table. Artemis jumped off behind her.

"Bye, guys!" Luna called, running down the east side of the block. Artemis tore off after her. Hogoshi grinned and waved good-bye. She turned back to the other three girls.

"Okay, come on," Hogoshi urged, turning to the south block. Minako stomped off behind her. Rei and Mako looked at each other and sighed. She was going to be like this for the rest of the afternoon.

Kei looked down the street, Selene standing next to her. "Okay, so now what?" Selene groaned. She told Capricorn and Scorpio where to meet them. So where were they now?

"We'll just have to wait," Selene replied. She looked up at the violet-haired girl she had to guard. Kei was impatient, she knew that much. She knew Kei wanted to meet the mysterious senshi of the revelation. Sighing, Selene hoped she wouldn't start complaining about her duty.

"So, what part do they play in this big sacrifice again?" Kei asked, looking around once again for the sailor senshi. "I mean, I'm the one who gets to get 'murdered'. What do they do? Sit back and cheer me on?"

"No," Selene muttered, flinching at Kei's sarcasm. "They're the ones who start the revelation, search for the taboo talisman, and then end the revelation. To what they have to do, you have it pretty easy." Kei groaned.

"Yeah, real easy for me to leave everything I know here and become princess to a bunch of wayward senshi," she murmured. She shifted her wait to her left foot and checked her watch. "Gosh, they're taking so long."

Selene didn't say anything, but just sat patiently next to her owner's foot.

"Hey, Kei-chan!" a voice yelled from around a corner. Kei spun around and saw Hogoshi waving at her. Three other girls were in her tow as she raced toward the upset girl.

"Hi, Kei-chan. What are you doing?" Mako asked as they reach her. Kei smiled, but was eager for them to leave. If they stuck with her, then the other two sailor senshi would never know who she was.

"I'm waiting for someone," Kei replied, hoping that her tone of voice would imply that she didn't need company at the moment. Minako looked up in slight interest.

"By any chance, is one of them a cute guy?" she asked, her pale blue eyes hopeful. Kei thought about that for a moment. A guy sailor soldier? That didn't sound right and she nearly giggled as a pictured entered her mind.

"No," Kei said, but immediately burst out into a row of giggles. Selene looked up at her in distaste. She knew she felt pity for this girl, but this was no laughing matter.

Suddenly, someone brushed against Rei's shoulder. She turned around to snap at the person for not saying 'excuse me'. But after looking at the person, her jaw dropped and her eyes sparked. "Oh, I'm, um...er...that is...excuse me."

Minako turned to see what Rei was babbling about and her jaw dropped as well. A very attractive young man with silver hair and gray eyes was staring at Rei oddly. A small girl with wavy red hair and heart-shaped odangos stood next to him. Minako looked at the guy and her eyes glittered.

"Hi!" she gasped, walking up towards the guy. "My name is Aino Minako, but you can call me Minako-chan or on a date." The guy blushed profusely.

"Um, nice Minako-chan," he said, his voice sounding awfully light, "but, I'm looking for someone and I need to get going." The small girl next to him tugged his hand. He looked down at her. "What is it, Megumi?" Hogoshi and Mako looked at the little girl.

"She's your sister?" Hogoshi asked the boy. Both he and the girl blushed and shook their heads. Selene looked up at the little girl and recognized her immediately.

"Meow!" Selene purred loudly, rubbing up against Megumi's leg. Megumi looked down and her green eyes widened.

"Selene-chan!" she said, picking up the tiny cat. Rei noticed the calico and stroked her under the chin. She also saw the symbol imprinted on its forehead.

"Wow, what a cute kitty," the boy said. He looked around. "Whom does she belong to?" Kei spoke up for the first time and pulled Minako away so she could talk to the boy face to face. Minako didn't mind, and the loving gaze never left her face.

"She's mine," Kei said. The boy and Megumi stared at Kei dumbfounded. Megumi tugged the boy's hand and gave Selene back to Kei. Kei stared at the two, confused. Selene perched herself on Kei's shoulder and brought her muzzle close to Kei's ear.

"Those are the two you're supposed to meet," she whispered. Kei's eyes widened. She looked at the boy. A guy sailor soldier? So, they really did exist.

"Um, let me introduce myself," the boy said, blushing. "My name Kano Yomicha." Selene tilted her head to the side. Yomicha, huh? What a pretty name.

"Michimichi-chan, we should leave now," Megumi whispered, tugging Yomicha's hand. Yomicha nodded as Minako giggled at the little girl's nickname for Yomicha. Kei took a step towards them, but Hogoshi looked at the purple-haired girl oddly.

"Kei-chan?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"These are the two I'm supposed to meet," Kei quickly said, wanting to hurry up and meet these two senshi. She shrugged. "So I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah, I guess." Hogoshi stared at the three retreating figures. Something about them was so mysterious, yet so comforting. It warmed her soul to see Kei and these two new figures. Then again, she bitterly thought, this warmed soul isn't even mine.

"C'mon," Rei urged, pulling Hogoshi's arm. Hogoshi nodded her head and the four girls left down to the district court.

"Yomicha-san," Kei began, leaning her head back against the park bench. She and the tall boy were sitting on a cold bench in a park near the beach that faced a beautiful, clear pond that was silver from the angle of the sun. Megumi was laughing cheerfully, chasing a large purple butterfly around the park. Her green eyes sparkled happily as she seemed to take on another spirit.

"Yes?" Yomicha asked. His gray blue eyes glittered. They were so haunting yet so solacing. He smiled gently. "Kei-chan, this must be awful for you. You shouldn't have to leave this world." Kei wanted to eagerly agree with him, but kept her mouth shut.

"Actually, I had another question," Kei whispered, brushing a purple curl from her eye. "Um, exactly...no...I mean, um...are you really a sailor soldier? I never knew that, er, guys could be...um...them." Yomicha stared at her quizzically. Selene, who was sitting under the bench, flinched.

"A g-guy?" Yomicha sputtered. "Oh, lord. I seriously do look like a guy then." Kei's eyes widened as Yomicha turned to her. "I'm not a guy. I never was and never will be. I'm one hundred percent female, okay?" The surprised look on Kei's face made Yomicha laughed.

"You look cute like that," she said, wiping a silver strand of hair from her face. Kei's expression didn't change. She just stared at the boy - no, girl - with an awed look on her face. She was blushing, no doubt. Her cheeks flushed rose.

Sighing, Yomicha turned back toward Megumi, her grayish eyes sad. The girl had ignored the butterfly and was now chasing a glowing bug, what was it? Peering closely, the silver-haired girl realized it was a firefly. A stinging pain erupted from her heart as a word escaped from her lips.

"Hotaru-chan…" The wind slightly carried the words away from her and towards the red-haired girl. Yomicha stared oddly at the tiny one and seemed confused for a moment. Who on earth was Hotaru? Shrugging the care off easily, she turned back towards Kei.

"You know the mission?" Yomicha asked as Selene hopped up towards her mistress' lap. Kei nodded.

"Hai."

"Are you willing to undergo any sacrifice and find the taboo talisman?" Kei stared at the desolate eyes and shrugged. No, she was not ready and would never be. There was no way she could face her death with the courage and honor the senshi she imagined would have.

"I guess so," she lied.

"Don't do that," Yomicha warned, staring back at Megumi. "Don't lie to me. Now answer me correctly: are you willing to under go any sacrifice and find the taboo talisman? Tell me, Kei-chan." Yomicha gently cupped Kei's chin in her hand. The red eyes shone like rubies. "Tell me, Kei-chan. Tell me about yourself. We soldiers of the revelation are one. Tell me what's under those pretty curls. There's something missing. Tell me, Kei-chan. Don't be scared."

Kei looked into those sorrowful eyes and her heart broke. The feelings that she had kept bottled up inside started spilling over. Her red eyes filled with tears as she grabbed Yomicha's green jacket and clung to it desperately. She felt strangely safe when she was in the presence of these two. They were still practically strangers, knowing each other for barely an hour. A weird warm feeling spread through the young woman. Could this be...no. She would not fall in love with another girl.

Kei's tears spilled steadily from her face. "My life is so screwed, but I can't find anything wrong with it. My father is very wealthy and he loves me very much. We're rich and live in a penthouse in a very lovely neighborhood. I'm at the top socially and academically. I know I'm pretty, people tell me so. But there's something missing to that. Like I'm supposed to be wanted in something other then in this reality façade. I know that this is reality, but I don't belong here. I belong somewhere else, in a fantasy world maybe. I don't belong here, I just don't need to be here. I'm..." The effort for Kei to say these words was tremendous and more tears flowed from her glossy red eyes, "...not wanted."

"Kei-chan, Kei-chan," Yomicha whispered, her voice wavering. She held the girl close in a hug. Kei was crying softly in the arms of the boyish looking girl. "You are wanted. You are needed."

"For what!?" Kei screeched, pulling away. Some of her wanted to run away and tear the locket away from her chest. But the other part wanted to stay close to Yomicha's protective arms. "I'm the soldier of sacrifice if you hadn't noticed. I have to die, leave everything I know and become Princess to people I never heard about until yesterday! Is that my want? My need? Is that it? Is that it!?" Yomicha stared at the girl.

"Is it?" she asked, her gray eyes sorrowful. "Is it really?" Kei fell back into the girl's arms. That haunting voice soothed her and she felt her skin tingle from her touch.

"Don't do this to me, Yomicha-san," Kei said, more tears falling. "I don't want this duty. I can't."

"You can," Yomicha whispered, her lips close to the distraught girl's ear. "I know you can. You may think of yourself as weak, but your aura is powerful and beautiful and strong."

"It's not, it's not," Kei sobbed. Yomicha pulled Kei slowly away from her as Megumi ran up to them. The two girls stared at the tiny child as she opened her palms. A firefly glowed within them. Megumi grinned childishly as she stared wide-eyed at them.

"Firefly. Fire soul."

Author's Note: The second chapter of knowing Kei, and she's already falling for Yomicha? (P.S. Yomicha is NOT a Japanese name, if you haven't guessed). Is she still Mary Sue? Or any of the revelation senshi really stereotypical? Please tell me. I might actually do something about it, if you READ AND REVIEW! Bum-bum-BUM!!!

I think there was a parallel somewhere in this chapter, when Makoto and Minako were complaining about a lack of boyfriends. In my mind, I was thinking about one scene from the dub which I believe is probably one of the funniest moments ever from the dubbed version of Sailor Moon. The scene goes somewhat as the following:

Mina: (bored) I can't believe this. Serena's with Darien, Amy's studying, Raye's working...everybody has something to do except us!

Artemis: (teasing) And neither of you have a boyfriend so you're stuck here with us cats! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

The funny part was Artemis' comment, after he burst into laughter and was absolutely dying over it while Mina, Lita, and Luna gave him these dark looks. I'm sorry, but I thought it was the most hilarious thing...

Anyway, I'll see y'all in the next Author's Note!


	7. Episode 225

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

**Episode 224: Secrets of the revelation? Soldiers of the gemstones unite!**

"Lovely, lovely," a voice echoed through the darkness. A tall blonde sailor stepped from the shadows. She had a different sailor fuku than the sailor senshi. Her own sailor fuku was in various shades of shimmering yellow. Her brooch was star-shaped with the zodiac sign of Libra intertwined with the sign of Venus. She wore a sheer golden skirt panels, under a golden sailor skirt and white sailor boots that reached her knees. Her pale blonde hair was pulled into two braided pigtails that reached her thighs, where the ends were tied with two yellow ribbons. She smiled. "Nice work."

"Thank you Sailor Libra," a high pitched voice said eagerly from the darkness. A petite pink-haired woman wearing a similar sailor senshi outfit of rose colors walked forward. She smiled and her blue eyes sparkled. "Your comment is greatly appreciated."

"Yes, of course," Libra replied, her gold eyes narrowing. She smiled grimly. "Now, how exactly do you expect this to work?" Cancer stared at the golden-haired young woman and then at the weapon that was in her hands. It was black scepter with silver designs etched on it. The orb on the base of the scepter was made of black tinted glass. Black demon-like wings spread from the base of the orb.

"Ah, it's called the Oracle Mace," Cancer said slowly, stroking the orb with her gloved hand. "It's used to destroy those bothersome traitors of the revelation and their bratty sailor pals." Libra shook her head in disgust.

"Can you actually believe they were part of the zodiac soldiers?" she murmured, clucking her tongue. "They fight with the moon princess for goodness sakes. I mean, who would want to fight with a petite, air-headed, crybaby, klutz of a princess when they had so much going for them over here? I bet it's their fault we couldn't find our true princess. They left us so long ago to cope by ourselves. What were they thinking?"

"Well, they'll be getting their punishment," Cancer replied, firmly gripping the scepter. "But our main concern is finding that taboo talisman before they do. They find it, well, that just about spells it for us." Libra shook her head.

"Supposedly, Aquarius and Pisces went out looking for four gullible humans who can help is in this search. I doubt they will find someone who would betray their own species."

"Doubting, Sailor Libra?" a voice asked sarcastically through the darkness. "Maybe you should find out what's going on…" Aquarius appeared in the room, leviating upside down above them, "…before you assume it." Libra glared at dark blue-suited Aquarius as she flipped down and landed gracefully on her feet.

"I have yet to ask you, Aquarius."

"What are you doing, talking to the peppermint?" Aquarius asked, meaning Cancer. Cancer's eyes flared.

"Don't call me that!" she wined. She stomped her foot, her cheeks large in pout. "I'm not a peppermint." Aquarius rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, sure," she replied. "Both you and Sailor Aries look like peppermints." Then she looked around quickly. "Just don't tell Aries I said that. She might kill me or something." Libra sighed at Aquarius' hotheaded remarks. She wondered who on earth her twin was like. She shuddered at the thought of two Aquarius'.

"Hello, Cancer to Libra," Cancer shouted in her soprano voice. She stared at Libra with large blue eyes. "Didn't you hear what Aquarius said? She and Pisces found four people." Libra nodded, the golden pools that were her eyes amused.

"You did something right, no?" Libra asked. Aquarius glared at the golden-haired soldier with fierce green eyes and turned her back. Her pale blue hair bounced softly against her waist as she left in anger.

"I think you set her nerve off again," Cancer replied, tugging one of her rose tresses eagerly. "You're in for it!" Libra sighed and walked out of the room, her footsteps sounding light on the floor. Cancer quickly scampered to catch up.

"Hey, wait up!" a voice called from behind. A gorgeous turquoise-haired girl came running up to the couple. She glared at them. "Aquarius been here yet?" Libra nodded and the girl groaned.

"Why do you hate her so much, Pisces?" Cancer asked, once again tugging a rose curl. "I mean, I can see that she's charming and sarcastic and hot-headed, but other than that, why should you hate her?"

"Hate her?" Pisces asked, her green eyes glistening. "I don't hate her. I just dislike her."

"Same difference."

Pisces sighed. "They always say opposites attract, but they couldn't be more wrong. I'm the exact opposite of that brat. I'm not charming and I'm not sarcastic and I'm not hot-headed." Cancer and Libra shared a look. That wasn't true. Pisces was quite charming, quite sarcastic, and quite cold.

"Then she goes and finds four dead humans and says they're gullible!" Pisces hissed. "But somehow, she'll convince the princess she's right. Ugh, I totally hate her!"

"A minute ago it was disliked," Libra brooded. Pisces stared at her.

"Whatever I said, I don't like her," she replied as all three of them stepped into a large room. Black marble columns surrounded the room, ending in exquisite designs overhead. A throne was near the back of the room. A young woman sat in it her unbelievably long black hair cascading behind her. Four other senshi were inside the room, waiting for the three.

"You're late, Pisces," Aquarius teased, her green eyes flickering. Pisces glowered at her. Turning back to the princess, Aquarius bowed gracefully. "Princess, I have done what you've requested…" Pisces cleared her throat and Aquarius smiled, "…we've done what you requested and have found four eligible bodies."

"Bodies?" the princess asked, her voice sounding eerie and unnatural. "What do you mean 'bodies'?"

Aquarius didn't even falter. She stood and looked the princess straight in the eye.

"I mean, they're dead," Aquarius replied. "I found them dead and realized that it'd be easier to handle them. We can erase their memories and they'll be easier to convince that they work for us."

"Haven't you realized," Pisces suddenly flared as she strode up to the taller soldier, "that these people could've been famous in their previous lives? If they're suddenly back from the dead, there's going to be something seriously wrong with that!" Aquarius smiled.

"I'm always one step ahead of you, love," Aquarius said, tugging gently at one of Pisces' teal curls. Pisces blushed, furious. Aquarius turned back towards the princess. "You can change their appearance easily. It will, of course, require some power, but I'm positive this will work." The princess stared at the blue-haired soldier and considered her proposal.

"And if these humans recall their past lives?" she asked. Aquarius grinned and Pisces glared at her hatefully.

"They die," Aquarius replied, her deep voice sounding fairly amused. "They can't support life without this light so…" She let her voice trail off. Pisces wondered about the girl. Always smart, always casual and charming. She hated this perfect girl with the perfect attitude. Brat.

"Where are these four you talk of?" the princess asked. She stood up and walked from her throne until she was face to face with Aquarius and Pisces. Her green eyes glittered. Pisces felt uneasy in the presence of the royal princess of the zodiac, a title that did not rightly belong to her.

Suddenly, Pisces felt warmth against her hand and looked down. Aquarius had grabbed her hand and was staring down at her with glittering green eyes. "Be strong, Pisces," she mouthed then let go of her hand.

Pisces stared open mouthed at the girl. Her hand was tingling from Aquarius' touch. She thought that Aquarius hated her as much she hated Aquarius. But, after seeing that look of affection in those green eyes, some of those thoughts glided away briefly.

"Here are the bodies," Aquarius said, kneeling down on one knee. Stunned, Pisces also kneeled down and her hand brushed up against Aquarius'. The same shivering feeling spread up her arm. "They are in excellent condition so I suppose they've only been dead for a couple of days."

There were four bright lights in the room and the senshi covered their eyes. Blinking profusely, the princess opened her eyes and turned behind her. Four bodies, radiant from an individual aura, floated lifelessly behind her. She approached one that was surrounded in a very pale aura, showing that she was dead.

"These outfits…" the princess whispered, gently touching the black fabric of a dark-haired girl who looked no older than ten. "These must be what humans call the latest fashions. Quite odd, if you ask me." She nodded in approval. Aquarius and Pisces rose to their feet.

Sailor Aries was staring at the four bodies, her violet eyes dark. Her deep violet hair, held in numerous braided pigtails, reached down to her waist. Her sailor outfit was designed in red. "I have a bad feeling about them, Sagittarius." she whispered to the pale green-haired soldier standing next to her.

"Shhh," the tall girl whispered, her brown eyes regarding the four bodies. Her hair was rather short, ending just above her shoulder. "I have no premonition, Aries. So just be quiet and listen." Aries, stubborn and fiery tempered, said nothing.

"I wonder what the big deal is," Virgo groaned, pulling at her dark blue ponytail. Her outfit was indigo and she seemed rather bored. She smacked her gum loudly before blowing a huge pink bubble that popped and covered her entire face. Pulling the goo off, she smiled grimly. "I mean, I really don't care about conquering this tiny planet." Libra shook her head.

"We're not conquering anything," she reminded all of them. "We're here to save ourselves from dying. And perhaps finding our true princess instead of that brat over there." Cancer nodded and sighed.

"That had better be it," she said, grasping the Oracle Mace firmly. "I'm not willing to work my behind off to try this again."

"You are so lazy," Virgo said, sticking another piece of gum in her mouth. "I mean, come on. Do it 'till you get it right, Cancer."

"I don't wanna!"

"Oh, stop your whining," Sagittarius groaned, clapping her hands over her ears. "If I didn't know any better I think your twin was that princess of the moon, Serenity." Cancer stopped crying and stared at the green-haired soldier in horror.

"No, no, NO!" she cried, her blue eyes hysterical. "Never that whining crybaby!" The taller girls looked at each other.

"Then stop crying!"

Cancer stopped.

Aquarius and Pisces stared at the four bodies, wondering. They wondered exactly how they had died. Maybe a car accident? No, no bruises or broken bones. Could it have been a natural death? Impossible, they were too young. Maybe, they were poisoned? Then why did they look so worn out?

"It doesn't matter how they died," the princess said, staring at the two with huge green eyes. Four lights glowed in front of her. "What does matter is if they'll listen or not." Looking back towards the other zodiac senshi, her eyes snapped. "Sailor Virgo!" The blue clad soldier humbly walked towards the princess and her two fellow senshi.

"Sailor Virgo," the princess whispered, her voice soft and ghostly, "we need new appearances for these four bodies. Can you help?"

"Of course, my princess," Virgo said sweetly, smacking her gum loudly. She winked at Pisces. "I am, after all, the soldier of demeanor." She turned to the first figure, a blonde, athletic looking girl. "You. We have to do something with that hair of yours. I'm thinking, a tad bit longer." Laughing to herself, she pointed her finger. "What do you think you were, a guy?"

Blowing a large bubble, she turned to a young girl, the one the princess was staring at. "And you. Can't just leave that dark hair of yours hanging, can we? I'm thinking, how about some _odango_s in braids?" She walked over to a fragile looking girl whose face was distorted in pain. "Love those curls of yours, but we can put that up into a bun, 'kay?"

Finally, she turned to a medium-skinned solider. "Nice, sweet. But we can put that long hair of yours into a simple braid." The soldier looked up at the ceiling and clasped her hands together. She lowered her head quickly in a nod.

There was a brilliant flash of light. Dimming away, Virgo saw with satisfaction that her appearance makeover was a success.

"And, I've added at no extra charge," Virgo said pleasingly, "a new personality. Harder than not, but possible." The princess nodded, her black hair shaking.

"I did not ask you to give them personalities, Virgo," she said icily. Virgo nodded, but her energy wasn't hurt one bit.

"I'll be more considerate next time," she said, snapped her fingers, and then flounced off. The princess glared at her with disgust. One of the most failed off all the senshi, she was a good fighter and that's why she kept her.

The princess held the four lights above her head. Her hair swarmed around her as a stiff breeze picked up in the suddenly silent room. The four bodies still lay motionless, but their hair began to swell around them as well. The princess closed her eyes as she concentrated.

__

Upon this now I lay your souls

__

To bring about a revelation foretold

__

Deeply I engrave this time and hour

__

As you receive this sacred power

The deep blue light responded to the revelation first and slowly moved toward the blonde. It entered her body through the deep blue brooch on her chest. Her body glowed dark blue for an instance before her chest began rising up and down.

The second light to respond was emerald in color. It seemed to pause before moving toward the young woman with the curls. It also entered through the brooch on her chest, which was sea green. She began breathing slowly and finally blinked, revealing gorgeous cerulean eyes.

The two final lights moved at the same time. The red light went towards the older girl while the yellow light approached the smaller and younger one. The lights slowly passed through the brooches and their skin became warm from the sudden rush of flowing blood and oxygen.

The blonde slowly sat up, holding her head in her hands. She was groaning to herself. All of the other sailor senshi were on alert, their eyes growing huge. The princess backed up a bit.

The azure-haired girl sat up as well, blinking. She opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, then shut it. Her blue eyes looked hysterical as she looked from one face to another. The blonde took a moment to look at her, then went back to her wallow in her own confusion.

"I'm not going to say anything," came a weak voice and all eyes turned to the youngest of the revived, "because I have no idea what to say." She sat up, her violet eyes harsh, yet innocent.

"Oh, you finally woke up!" Pisces exclaimed, pretending to be relieved. She smiled at them. "We were so worried!" The blonde looked up and stared at her.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice deep and troubled. Her aqua eyes were regarding everybody in the room carefully. Aquarius quickly picked up on the act.

"You don't remember us?" she asked, her voice soothing and charming as always. She seemed to consider this. "Must be amnesia. We weren't sure you'd make it through." The gorgeous girl with teal hair gently landed on the floor. She stood shakily.

"Well, thank you, since it must be amnesia," she said. "Since I have no idea who I am and why I'm wearing such a skimpy outfit, enlighten me." She gently touched the bun high on her head in which all her hair was wound. She gently let down a few curls. Virgo scoffed at the improvement.

"You're…um…" Aquarius paused. The deep blue eyes the color of the ocean, the sea green brooch. "…Atlantica. Sailor Emerald. Remember?" Atlantica stared at the blue-haired soldier and shook her head. The blonde finally stood up.

"She's Atlantica, huh?" she asked, her voice sarcastic. "So, who am I? Because I, for one, have no clue whatsoever about what happened." Pisces stared at the pointed odangos on the girl and the long, long trailing pigtails. The _odango_s looked like rabbit ears.

"Bunny..." Pisces whispered, pretending to be shocked. "Bunny, you really don't remember do you?" There was another silent glare.

"My name is Bunny? You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"Lord, that sounds so childish. I mean, why one earth would someone's nickname be Bunny?" Atlantica clucked her tongue.

"Deal with it."

The murderous aqua eyes turned to the girl. "Did I ask for a response?" There was no answer. "I didn't think so."

The other two girls were just staring quietly at the other two. The older one shook her head. "I might remember something if I saw someone from before the incident. So, I might as well know my name as long as I'm here." Her crimson eyes regarded the princess carefully.

"Zephyr, remember?" The crimson eyes remained confused as the name entered her clouded mind.

"Never…heard of it…before," she whispered. The younger one looked at the others, her violet eyes growing wider every second.

"I've heard the others ask you for names," she said, her voice weak. "But I want to ask you for information. First of all, how did we lose our memories?"

"Accident." Bunny rolled her eyes. Well, that was stating the obvious. The young girl nodded.

"And, may I ask, what kind of accident?" Pisces shrugged her shoulders. Atlantica fumbled with her hands slowly. She didn't like being here. Not with a crowd of strangers and three other people with amnesia. That wasn't any fun. Especially since one of the three seemed to have a really bad temper. She looked downwards, shaking slightly.

"Hey, hey," Bunny suddenly said, walking over to Atlantica. Atlantica didn't look up. Bunny probably didn't want her crying and came to talk some sense into her. But to her surprised, Bunny put her arm around her. "Hey, it's okay. You'll be okay, you'll be okay. As long as-" The blonde stopped suddenly.

"What?" the princess asked, slightly annoyed.

"Nothing," Bunny said, pulling away from the distraught girl. "I just thought that maybe I had said that someplace before. I was going to say, 'as long as we're together', but…" She trailed off and became lost in her own thoughts.

"You're Skylar, sweet," Cancer chirped from behind. Her blue eyes sparkled as she stared at the black-haired girl. "And all four of you are the crysal senshi." Zephyr stared at Cancer with a laugh in her crimson eyes.

"Senshi what?" she asked incredulously. She shook her head, the green braid swinging left and right. "I'm hallucinating."

Sailor Aries watched the four newly awakened girls sort out their own problems. But there was something. Something she couldn't quite place that was very wrong here. She clucked her tongue in disgust and turned away. Sagittarius saw her ready to leave and ran after her.

"Aries! Wait!" Aries stopped and allowed the girl to catch up. Sagittarius grabbed her shoulder. Her brown eyes were sharp. "What's wrong, Aries? You've been acting peculiar ever since those four showed up."

"I don't trust them," Aries replied, her tone soft. "Something about them is too foreboding. I don't trust them one single bit."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hogoshi grabbed her locket suddenly. Rei looked up in surprise and raced back toward the brunette. "Hogoshi-chan!" Minako and Mako turned back too and looked worried. Hogoshi was breathing in gasps. Her head was spinning and her heart was beating fast.

"I'm…okay," Hogoshi gasped, trying to smile. The pain was infuriating. She felt the stinging in her eyes and the burning of her heart and soul. It was as if her soul was begging to be let out of her body. Either that or this was a really weird heart attack.

"I'm just a bit dizzy," Hogoshi replied. "Can we find a place to sit down?" Rei nodded and looked around for bench. After spotting one, with the help of Mako, she helped Hogoshi over to it. Hogoshi tried to calm down, but the attacks didn't stop. If anything, they were getting much worse. She couldn't help but to cry out in pain a little.

Her locket was shaking and glowing. Minako looked worried. "Hogoshi-chan, what's wrong?"

"I don't…know," Hogoshi gasped as the pain began to dull. Her heart stopped racing and continued its regular pace. Her head stopped spinning and her lungs no longer felt restricted from air. "I felt like my heart was burning up or something."

"Then why did the locket react?"

"I don't know," Hogoshi said, leaning her head back. Mako shook her head.

"Maybe you're too exhausted," she said. "We're going home."

"No, I'm okay!" Hogoshi smiled, pulling her hand way from her locket. It had stopped vibrating and returned to normal. "See? I'm in for a couple more shops. Don't lock me up in Mako's house."

"We won't," Minako sighed, pulling the girl to her feet. "Now, I'm sure I saw a sale sign back there somewhere. It was a department store, I'm sure of that."

Hogoshi watched as the other three girls began chattering happily. She smiled, but couldn't help feeling creepy after that weird attack. What had happened to her? Oh well. No use worrying about it now.

"Hogoshi-chan!" Mako called, waving back to the girl. Hogoshi looked up in alarm.

"What?"

"Are you coming or not?" Hogoshi smiled sweetly as she ran up to catch them. They may not be the most patient friends in the world, but they sure were the kindest.

"Coming!"


	8. 226

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

* * *

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 226: Setting the stage! New sailor soldiers and new battles!

* * *

"Ugh, this looks awful!" Bunny…Sapphire…commented. She turned away in disgust. "I absolutely will not."

"Oh, stop your complaining," Atlantica giggled. She spun around in the mirror, admiring her new sailor outfit as Sailor Emerald. The skirt and sailor collar were jet black. Both bows were forest green. She had a black ribbon in her hair that held up her bun. Her shoes were black high heels with an ankle strap. "I think it looks marvelous."

"Well, I don't," Sapphire retorted. She stared at her sailor fuku. It had the same black skirt and collar as Emerald's. Her bows were both deep blue. She had black roses in front of each odango. Her boots were also black. Sapphire scowled. "This is getting worse and worse. I'm not even getting those stupid flashbacks."

"Things could be worse," a small voice said. Sapphire turned to the girl in the back of the room who was silently placing the yellow bead bracelets back in hair. Skylar has transformed into Sailor Topaz. She smiled softly to herself. "Quiet now, Bunny-mama. Things could still get better."

"Bunny-mama?" Zephyr, Ruby, echoed, her garnet eyes shimmering. She laughed politely. "That's very cute, Topaz. And I agree with you. Things can only get better."

"Don't call me Bunny," Sapphire retorted. She clinched her teeth. "I can't stand it here. I'm going to the surface of that planet."

"We're not there yet," Emerald reminded her. Her beautiful turquoise eyes glimmered as her mouth curved into a playful grin. "Besides, I want to go with you." Sapphire smiled in response. They weren't sure yet, but there was something between them. Whether it was from just now or from their past, they weren't sure. It wasn't very clear yet and it was more embarrassing then it was deep.

"Well," Ruby said, rising to her feet, "I suppose we had better leave now. I mean, we're close enough to that planet, right?" Sapphire and Emerald nodded eagerly. Topaz slowly rose to her feet, gently touching her braided _odango_s.

"Yes, we'll find the taboo talisman," she said softly. Her violet eyes shimmered evilly. She picked up the scepter that lay near her feet. "And maybe have some fun in the process. Who's willing to pick on those sailor brats?"

"Let me start the fun," Emerald said sweetly, raising her hand in the air. "Let's try out this new power! Gem _youma_!" The air glistened above her hand as ten beads of glass shone above her hand. They flew from above her black gloved hand and towards the ground. Slowly, from the beads, snake like monsters grew. Their red eyes glared at Sailor Emerald humbly and evilly. Arms shot out from their sides, wiping violently like vines. Its mouth was full of venomous sticky white teeth.

"Yuck!" Topaz yelped, jumping away in disgust. She wrinkled her nose, shaking a bit. "Emerald! You expect these things to blend in?" Sapphire gave Topaz a silent glare.

"It'll do the job just fine," she assured. "I'm going with them. The taboo talisman is hidden in someone's spirit chalice."

"Spirit chalice?" Ruby asked, pulling her green braid gently. "Yes, yes. I remember something about them. Something…they are supposed to be the marble ball in which someone's soul is encased. If the chosen one is broken, the taboo talisman will appear and the human will go into a deep coma forever until they die." She shook her head. "Murderesses? Lord, forgive us."

"Why?" Sapphire asked, touching her sandy locks softly. Something was wrong. She didn't know what, but something just wasn't right. "Those are our orders Ruby. We follow them…" Sapphire's voice faltered. She couldn't continue. She was questioning her own judgment. What was wrong?

"Something's not right," Topaz murmured, looking at all them sorrowfully. "Either something's missing or something was added or maybe it's both." Emerald shook her head as the snake monsters turned their slimy heads back towards her.

"We can't think about it now," she said, facing the _youma_. "Gem _youma_, go and look for the spirit chalice that holds the taboo talisman. I'll join you soon."

"Seegh, gettor," one of the monsters hissed, spitting poison out on the ground. Where the venom touched, the ground sizzled and turned into stone. Emerald shrugged as the ten monsters shimmered and disappeared.

"Oh, so now what?" Sapphire asked, leaning back against her vanity. Her aqua eyes were sharp. "Come on, let's go join the fun."

"Not yet," Ruby said, glaring into her mirror, smiling. Her crimson eyes shown evilly. "Not yet, we can't risk it. Wait until those youma find something."

The four sailor soldiers fell into silence as they waited.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, guys!" a high-pitched voice screamed across the street. Hogoshi and the others turned, only to see Usagi and Chibiusa waving them down across the street. Hogoshi waved back, her brown hair bouncing enthusiastically. Rei smiled and waited for the two _odango atama_s to run across the street to meet them.

"Hey, you went shopping!" Usagi mumbled, noticing the numerous bags the girls were holding. She then noticed the ice cream cones they were each holding. "Ice cream? No fair! I want some!" Minako groaned as Usagi began bawling tears.

"_Baka_, shhh!" Chibiusa yelled, pointing to a small white bag Usagi was holding. "Remember? You have doughnuts!" Usagi's eyes lit up as she stared at the bag. She began drooling.

"Oh, yeah," she whispered, opening the bag up and popping doughnuts into her mouth. Chibiusa shrieked in disbelief as she grabbed the bag and closed it.

"You can't have all of it!" she screamed.

"Who says I can't?"

"I do, _baka_!"

"Why, you little…" The girls started staring at each other and stuck out their tongues. The four other girls stared on, embarrassed. Some things never seem to change.

Usagi grabbed the bag away from Chibiusa, but Chibiusa grabbed it right back. Suddenly, they both had a strong grip on the doughnuts. Usagi pulled and Chibiusa pulled. Mako's eyes grew larger.

"Hey, hey, _matte_!" she yelled, stepping towards them.

Too late.

The bag split open and powdered sugar and mini doughnuts spilled out. The two girls with balls of hair were covered in powdered sugar. They blinked as they both dropped their half of the bag. The doughnuts plopped to the ground. Usagi stared at them, her eyes watering.

"My doughnuts!" she cried, not noticing how silly she looked with powdered sugar covering her nose, cheeks, and eyelashes. Chibiusa, being closer to the ground, had powdered sugar all on top of her hair, her eyelashes, and nose. She sneezed three times, sending little clouds of sugar into the air.

Mako burst out laughing at the sight of them. The ground was covered in powdered sugar and doughnuts with two girls standing over them, one crying and one sneezing clouds of sugar. Rei joined her as well and then, Minako and Hogoshi. Usagi kept crying while Chibiusa tried desperately to hold her sneeze in without success.

"Look at you," Hogoshi cooed softly. She waved her finger. "You're a mess! Now we have to go and get you cleaned up." Chibiusa managed to stop sneezing as she looked up at Hogoshi.

"D-d-dot without by ice creab," she said, her nose clearly stuffed up. "I want sub ice creab since Usagi-_baka_ spilled the doughnuts. You bade a bess!" Usagi stared at her future daughter.

"I did no such thing!" she screeched. Minako tapped Usagi on the head.

"You both did, now stop arguing," she said and before the two could protest, she wiped some of the dust off their heads. "Now, look at you! No ice cream until you get yourself cleaned up." She tapped Usagi's head again, more sugar flying about. Chibiusa moaned about her ice cream.

"Ami-chan!" Usagi suddenly wailed, running from Minako's grasp and towards a blue-haired girl that was coming up behind the group. "They're being mean to me and I can't get any ice cream and Chibiusa spilled the doughnuts and I have powdered sugar all over my hair and…and…" Usagi's bawling was lost as she buried her face in Ami's white jacket.

"Um, that's okay, Usagi-chan," Ami said awkwardly. She looked up at the others. She smiled softly. "I'm not going to ask what happened."

"Okay," Chibiusa piped up, glaring at Usagi. She was being cleaned up by Rei. Her red eyes were blazing. She didn't notice that Rei had stopped wiping her pink hair. "I did not spill the doughnuts, baka."

"You did, you did," Usagi sobbed. Chibiusa shook her head in disgust. Usagi always blamed her for things that she herself screwed up on. She waited patiently for Rei to continue. Chibiusa knew she was still mess. But Rei didn't continue. Chibiusa waited and waited and waited…

"Hey, Rei-chan," she finally asked, gazing up at the raven-haired girl. Her red eyes were curious. She stared at the suddenly alert young woman. "Rei-chan?"

"I've just felt a premonition," Rei whispered, wiping a black wisp of hair from her eyes, which were dark. "The first I've had in a year. Since…" she stopped, taking a quick glance of Hogoshi, "…since a year ago." Hogoshi stared at Rei silently, feeling her throat start to close up. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears and threatened to spill over.

"A premonition," she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "You haven't had those…" Her voice broke. Usagi stopped crying and immediately rushed over to the girl, "…since those two murdered my best friends!" Her voice was lost in sobbing.

"There's a new evil, I can feel it," Rei continued. Her violet eyes widened. "And it's already on Earth! It's attacking now!" She turned to the others, her expression grave. "I know it might take a bit of effort, but we need to transform and find out what's up." Usagi and the others nodded vigorously.

"Yes, let's go beat up some enemy butt!" Mako said, but her once enthusiastic voice was toned down. She felt around her purse and produced a pretty green, pink, and gold _henshin_ pen. She looked around.

"Can't transform here," Chibiusa noted. They turned to a dark alley and began walking to it. Hogoshi didn't follow. Usagi turned around and stared at her oddly.

"Hogoshi-chan?" she asked, walking back towards the tall brunette, worry etched across her face. "Come on." Hogoshi took a deep breath and tried to move her feet. But they remained planted in the ground. Hogoshi stood her ground.

"Hogoshi?" Minako asked, walking up to Usagi's side. Tears were spilling on the brunette's cheeks. "Are you okay?"

"I can't go!" Hogoshi suddenly cried out. "I can't…I might hurt someone. I can't…I won't…" Her voice was lost as she began sobbing hysterically. Usagi ran up to the distraught girl and wrapped both of her arms around Hogoshi's waist, the only part the petite girl could actually reach properly. Hogoshi was unusually tall for a seventeen-year-old.

"You don't have to go, but we need you," Usagi whispered into her chest. Hogoshi tried not to listen to the small, blonde girl, but she found herself doing so.

"If someone gets hurt, I'll never forgive myself," Hogoshi whimpered, her voice barely audible. "It was my fault…my fault…last time…I don't want it to happen again." Usagi gently cupped Hogoshi's hand in her own.

"Maybe this is they way to lose that guilt," Usagi said and felt a stinging pain in her memory. It was her fault too. She was the princess and had the power to stop the tragedy from happening. But, she had been too overconfident in her powers and because of that, she had lost four close friends. She'd never let that happen again…

"Let's go," Hogoshi whispered, taking a deep breath. She dropped Usagi's hand and walked toward the other girls. "I'm ready." The seven walked into the alley quietly.

Usagi pulled out her locket. When was the last time she had actually used that thing? It was right before they left to the Dark Moon. Right before they engaged in that battle. Right before the tragedy. Right before her entire life changed drastically.

She shakily held the locket in her hand. "Moon eternal power…" The others pulled out their _henshin_ pens, except for Hogoshi and Chibiusa who pulled out lockets.

"Destiny cosmos power…"

"Moon crisis power…"

"Mercury crystal power…"

"Mars crystal power…"

"Jupiter crystal power…"

"Venus crystal power…"

"…make UP!" they all shouted in unison. There were seven flashes of light and in a matter of seconds, there stood the familiar soldiers of love and justice.

"Wow, I forgot about that total rush of power," Venus cooed to herself, gently touching the soft golden fabric of her _fuku_ skirt. Eternal Sailor Moon walked up to Sailor Mercury, who was furiously typing in her computer.

"So, where is this monster?" she asked curiously, tossing one of her blonde pigtails over her shoulder. Mercury didn't say anything for a couple of seconds.

"The beach!" Mercury suddenly said. Sailor Moon nodded. It was late summer. Everybody who's anybody would be at the beach.

Chibi Moon looked back towards Sailor Destiny, who was looking rather ill. "Hey, you okay Destiny?" Destiny nodded, touching the silver fabric of her skirt.

"Fine," she said, a shaky smile slowly appearing on her face. "So, what are we waiting for?" Mars nodded eagerly.

"My point exactly! Let's go!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kei looked over the rocks. Waves crashed loudly against the brownish-gray rocks. She was carefully keeping her balance over the slippery surface, trying not to slid off and plunge beneath the waves. She cautiously peeked over the edge of the impossibly large rocks. It was a long way down.

"Hey, Kei-chan, careful!" a voice warned from behind. Yomicha gently grabbed Kei's elbow to keep her from teetering over the edge. Kei gave her a grateful smile. Megumi came tumbling up behind Yomicha and grabbed her leg for support.

"Gee, MichiMichi-chan!" she gasped, her face pink and her tiny chest heaving with every syllable. "You walk too fast!" Yomicha smiled as she patted the little girl on top of the head.

"Why'd you come up here?" Yomicha suddenly asked, turning to Kei. "I mean, this is kind of high." Kei shrugged, looking out at the choppy sea. Her gaze turned to up to the sky and an odd chill passed through her.

"Something's wrong," Kei whispered, goosebumps rising on her arms. She shivered. Yomicha stared at her strangely. "The sea is raging and the sky is hazy."

"I see it, I see it," Yomicha whispered. "It's like a dark aura has spread over them. Strange. I can feel it too. A regular human may not be able to see it with the naked eye. But our senses are enhanced."

"Yeah," Megumi whispered. She tapped her cheek. "It's evil. The evil is here already. What are we going to do?"

"Odd," Yomicha said, her voice dark. The sound was creepy and Kei looked up at her in surprise. "The zodiac senshi were repelled to stay off the earth and the moon unless they found their true leader and returned to their original forms. So they can't be attacking. Hmmph. Must have sent some monsters down."

"What?" Kei suddenly said, her head snapping up. "The monsters are here? Hurry up and transform! We have to go and fight." Yomicha and Megumi stared at Kei strangely.

"We don't fight," Megumi responded, even though her voice sounded a bit strangled. Kei's red eyes widened to their maximum extent.

"What do you mean, 'don't fight?'" she asked incredulously. Her purple curls blew from her face, enhancing her shocked features. "We're sailor senshi, right? We have to go and protect the princess. We can't stand here and let them fight alone." Yomicha's glare cut her off.

"You have no idea what it means!" she snapped, her gray-blue eyes harsh and cold. "If we're hurt or killed in a battle, then what will happen to the fulfillment revelation? We're the only ones who can complete it. If we are seriously injured or even killed, the entire planet goes with us." Kei's anger and frustration rose to boiling point.

"I don't care!" Kei shouted, backing away from the two. "I'm helping them." Yomicha grabbed Kei's wrist and brought her close to her.

"Don't be stupid, Kei-chan," she whispered, her voice as cold as steel. The gray-blue eyes stared at her intensely. "We can watch, okay? But we will not get involve. We will never get involved."

"Why am I getting the feeling that's not the reason you're not fighting?" Kei snapped back. "You're not fighting because you don't want the princess to see you for whatever reasons you have." Yomicha's eyes narrowed.

"What?" she asked. Megumi put her hand on the silver-haired girl's forearm. Yomicha stared down at the red-haired child and nodded slightly. She turned back to Kei. "You have no choice but to listen to us. We aren't going to do anything. You can take that for whatever meaning you like."

Kei's anger froze as well as her heart as she looked into those eyes. "Of course, Yomicha-san." Her voice was a hiss and dripping in sarcasm. "Let's stand by and watch the princess get killed." Megumi glared at the furious girl with spiteful green eyes.

"Be quiet," she muttered. "You do not know the first thing about death."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be so scared about sacrificing myself!"

"Shut up!" Yomicha growled. Her temper had rose as well. "You don't know how much is at stake here, so just shut up!" Kei fell back, stunned. Her red eyes were mixing with fury and confusion. Yomicha brought her close to her again.

"When there's a time…" she whispered, stroking the girl's soft violet curls. Kei didn't respond. She was lost in her own thoughts.

"Can…can we at least go and see who we're up against?" she asked in a small voice. Yomicha and Megumi looked at each other and shrugged. Why not?

"Okay, we'll go," Yomicha responded, running a hand through her silver locks. She reached into her jacket pocket and brought out a glittering blue and black _henshin_ pen. The handle was black with silver glitter. The base was silver and circular. On top of the base was a blue and silver star that had the sign of Capricorn designed on it.

Kei and Megumi also brought their transformation items. Kei was glad that Selene had gone back home. She wouldn't have approved of this secret mission. Megumi's pen was the same as Yomicha's except for the sign of Scorpio and the trimming in red. The three girls looked at each other and nodded.

"Midnight zodiac power…"

"Capricorn zodiac power…"

"Scorpio zodiac power…"

"…make UP!"

There were three flashes of light as the three girls were bathed in light and transformed. Sailor Midnight finished her _henshin_ and gently stepped to the ground. She shook some sparkling energy from her violet hair as she turned to her other two allies.

Scorpio finished next, her heart-shaped _odango_s glittering from the black shields. Her ending pose was of her right fist pumping into the air while her other hand was on her hip. The sign of Scorpio, an M shaped design, glowed red behind her.

Finally, Capricorn finished. A glossy energy gently touched her lips as she pulled her body into a pose. Her left leg crossed over her right and she had both hands on her hips.

Midnight stared at Capricorn for a slight second. Her mouth was dropping a bit. This wasn't Yomicha! Well, she knew that the girl had transformed, but she also knew that Yomicha had short silver hair. The soldier standing in front of her had long silver hair that reached to her waist. She had two pigtails pulled away from her face that ended just above her shoulder.

Capricorn noticed the long stares she was getting and smiled. "I'll explain later, Midnight. But for now, let's go and check out what's going on. The other sailor senshi are probably already there." Midnight nodded, dumbfounded.

The three senshi of the revelation walked away from the rocks and the crashing waves, towards the beach.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The seven senshi ran up to beach eagerly. The people there were just swimming or sunbathing and there were no signs of an attack. Venus sighed uneasily.

"Okay, where's the monster?" she asked, tugging her blonde hair as a grim smile set across her face. "I don't see anything wrong with this scene. Just a whole bunch of cute guys."

"Hmmph, I know I couldn't have been wrong," Mars brooded. She touched her red brooch. "I felt that premonition." Destiny shrugged, happy that there wouldn't have to be any fighting.

"Well, maybe it's a future thing," she said, turning her back. She began walking away. "There's nothing wrong here. I mean, look out ov…" Destiny was interrupted by a blood-curling scream. She spun around and saw a large snake like creature popping up from the water, it's white eyes glaring at anybody and everybody in its way. It opened its mouth, revealing venomous white teeth.

Chibi Moon shrieked and ran behind her future mother. She cautiously peered out, only to see nine more of the creatures pop up from the water. She wasn't at all surprised to see the beach suddenly become denser. People ran past them in fear and confusion.

"_Kami-sama_, what is that thing?"

"I'm scared!"

"Hey, it's the sailor soldiers!"

"Keep running, you idiot. That thing looks dangerous!"

Sailor Moon struggled to keep her own fear in check. She glared at the monsters, which were surprisingly fast.

Jupiter slammed her fist into her palm. "All right! Let's go and teach them what sailor senshi are made of." She hesitated for a second. "I hope they're not too dangerous."

The ten monsters turned to the sailor senshi suddenly, their eyes searching them deeply. The eyes turned from white to red. Sailor Destiny gasped. They were fast, ugly, and dangerous. And now they were mad too.

Suddenly, a tinkling and elegant laugh filled the air. Sailor Moon froze as she felt an evil presence surround them. Something was vaguely familiar about that laugh. Mercury turned on her visor and looked around them.

"There's someone here!" she announced, the negative readings growing with each passing second. "And I think they're in control of those _youma_!"

"Correct, Sailor Mercury," a voice said, a laugh on the edge of it. There was a flash of green light. The sailor senshi covered their eyes from the intensity of the light.

"Hello, sailor senshi," the voice continued. Sailor Destiny looked up and saw a girl in a black sailor suit levitating above them. Her skirt and collar was black, but her bows were green. Her brooch was also black with an emerald shimmering in it. Her teal hair was held up in a bun, while some curls gently touched her elegant face. Her turquoise eyes glared down at the sailors. "A pleasure, let me assure you."

Destiny stared at the beautiful girl in amazement. Something about this girl was faintly familiar. She looked like...impossible...no way...

"Let me introduce myself," the teal-haired girl whispered. "My name is Sailor Emerald, soldier of hatred. Now, stand still. Let me take your spirit chalice."

"Our what?" Destiny screeched. There was a glint in Emerald's eyes she didn't like too much. "What is a spirit chalice?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Emerald snickered as the _youma_ began approaching the sailor senshi. "I'll take it so fast you won't even feel the pain!" A glowing black scepter slowly materialized in her hand. Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon backed away cautiously. Mars and Jupiter ran in front of the two, ready to defend them from any attack.

"Okay, time to use our attacks!" Venus said, her blue eyes snappish. "Venus Love-Me Chain!" She waited for the heart-linked attack to appear and knock the weapon out of the soldier's hands. Nothing happened. Venus shook her head in disbelief. Jupiter grunted.

"Let me try. Supreme Thunder!"

Still, nothing happened. The sailor senshi looked at each other in distress.

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!"

"Fire Soul!" None of the two attacks worked. Sailor Chibi Moon took all this in and decided that maybe a moon child's power might work. She concentrated deeply and the Chibi Moon Kaleidoscope appeared in her hands.

"Now let's see you try to beat this you fake sailor!" Chibi Moon called enthusiastically. She ran between Mars and Jupiter and towards the enemy. Sailor Moon's arms reached out in shock.

"Chibi Moon! No!" she screamed.

"Moon Gorge-" Chibi Moon began to shout, racing her weapon. But Sailor Emerald was much quicker. She raised the Oracle Mace and pointed it threateningly. A black beam shot from the tip and towards the pink-haired soldier.

The next moment passed in a blur for the other sailor senshi. Destiny ran out, towards Sailor Chibi Moon. Sailor Moon stared in horror, but couldn't move out of fear. The black beam hit the smallest soldier in the chest violently. Chibi Moon screamed out in the highest, most agonizing sound that any of the sailor senshi ever heard.

Destiny grabbed Chibi Moon into her arms, but it was too late. The force of the blast sent the two sailor senshi hurtling backwards into the darkness of the trees.

"Aurora Borealis!"

"Heaven Inferno!"

"Twilight Expansion!"

Three attacks combined into one and knocked into Sailor Emerald. Her blue eyes turned to three figures, shadowed by the darkness of the trees. Her fury rose.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice rising. There was silence. She glared at the three sailor senshi and then back at the others who were running towards Chibi Moon and Destiny.

Destiny stared in horror as a baseball-sized, pink marble orb flew from the limp body she held in her hands. Chibi Moon's eyes had become pupiless and her skin pale and clammy. Tears filled her eyes as Sailor Moon ran up. "Chibiusa! Chibiusa! No!"

The pink orb flew to Sailor Emerald, glowing like crazy. Sailor Moon stared at the limp body of her daughter. She collapsed to the ground in the shock while Mars frantically felt for a pulse. There was one...but it was failing.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Mars whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "She's dying. I think she's in a coma."

Sailor Moon stared in disbelief. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. She took the frail and pliant body from Destiny. She couldn't believe it. Her daughter couldn't be dying. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she began crying hysterically. No, no, NO!

Sailor Emerald studied the spirit chalice intently. She felt a sudden sickness in her stomach. Her hand was shaking. No, it wasn't the taboo talisman. So why did she feel something was so familiar about taking the spirit chalice? Well, not the spirit chalice, but something else.

Emerald slowly descended to the ground and walked over to the grieving sailor senshi. She was ready to give the chalice back now.

Mercury and Venus noticed the approaching figure and rose to their feet.

"We may not be able to fight you with our attacks," Venus hissed, tears spilling profusely down her cheeks. "But I swear, we can still fight physically."

Emerald stared at the tiny body and then at the spirit chalice. "Take it. I don't want it. It's not the talisman." She tossed the chalice towards Destiny. Destiny caught it delicately. Sailor Moon held Chibi Moon's body closely in her arms. Everyone except Sailor Venus turned to Chibi Moon expectantly.

Sailor Venus stared at Emerald wide-eyed. The way she had said, 'it's not the talisman' sounded very familiar. Of course! Uranus and Neptune said the same thing two years ago when they were in search of the three talismans. Emerald sauntered away.

Destiny gently lowered the pink chalice towards Chibi Moon's locket. The locket glowed slightly as Chibi Moon's pink lashes fluttered open. She stared at all of them. "Huh? What happened?"

"Chibiusa!" Sailor Moon shrieked, grabbing the tiny girl in a bear hug. Chibi Moon's eyes snapped open as she struggled to push Sailor Moon away, but to no avail. Venus was still staring at Sailor Emerald. Emerald turned back to her, the curls in her face blowing in the wind.

"Until next time," she said, her voice blowing in the wind. In a flash of green lights, she disappeared. Venus stared after her strangely. That sailor didn't feel like an enemy, despite the fact that she had attacked them. Weird.

"Hey, where did those attacks come from?" Jupiter suddenly wondered aloud. Sailor Moon stopped her crying over Chibi Moon and looked up.

"Yeah, I saw something smacking that sailor in the side," she said, tugging a blonde pigtail nervously. She looked over where the attacks came from and saw three figures with haunting eyes standing in a tree nearby. "Hey! Hey! Who are you?"

The tallest figure looked at her with desolate gray-blue eyes. She turned her back and her silver hair fell softly to her waist. The other two with her stared at the taller one silently.

"I'm Eternal Sailor Moon, princess of the Silver Millennium and future queen of Crystal Tokyo," Sailor Moon called, getting to her feet. She looked at the three figures with honest blue eyes. The first figure spun around, her eyes growing huge.

"Princess?" she mouthed. Sailor Moon nodded and the girl seemed shocked. "Princess Serenity?" She jumped from the tree and landed casually on her feet, still in the shadows. The two other figures followed her lead. "I don't believe it."

"Yeah, I didn't at first either," Chibi Moon piped up, poking her finger at one of Sailor Moon's wings. Sailor Moon popped her on top of the head.

"Who's she?" the smallest of the trio asked. "I've never seen her before."

"That's Sailor Moon's…er…Neo-Queen Serenity's daughter," Mars supplied, rising to her feet. The others stood up too. "So, who are you?"

"For your own safety, we can't tell you that yet," the first figure said, turning her back. Then she looked back, her eyes quizzical. "There seem to be some members of your planetary group missing. Yes, there are. Where are the outer soldiers?"

"Dead," Destiny said flatly. Her green eyes were emotionless as she stared over at Chibi Moon. "They were killed by my 'sisters' a year ago." Then more angrily, she hissed, "Or they killed themselves. Whichever one makes more sense."

"The outers are dead?" the smaller one gasped. Her green eyes were watery. "Pluto…you can't be." Capricorn was also having some trouble groping with this news.

"Saturn can't be dead," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Midnight turned to Capricorn, her red eyes filled with worried. She gently touched her arm. "I would've known. They can't be dead."

Sailor Moon began walking to the three, still unaware who they were. Her blue eyes were trusting.

"Please, tell us who you are. We're all senshi, right? Senshi should stick together."

"_Gomen ne_, Sailor Moon," the wavy-haired figure said. "It's our duty as the senshi of the revelation not to tell you anything yet. Your information of us will be very limited." Slowly, she began walking away. The taller one stared off after her and then ran towards the retreating figure. The smallest one stayed for a second.

"There's one thing that I can tell you, Serenity," she said, beginning to leave. "We'll always be with and protect you. You may not know, but that's how it is." She then stopped and looked at Chibi Moon. "Be careful next time, Small Lady. Think before you act." She ran off.

Chibi Moon was too stunned to be angry with the diminutive soldier. Her red eyes had widened to the maximum extent. No one called her Small Lady, except for…

…Setsuna.


	9. Episode 227

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

* * *

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 227: Welcome back parties! Trouble on the ice.

* * *

"Wake up, Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa screamed into the sleeping girl's ear. "Mamo-chan gets home today. It's Tuesday!" Usagi didn't move. Chibiusa shrugged at the girl, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her violently.

"WAKE UP, USAGI!" she yelled, her voice unbelievably loud. Usagi's sleepy eyes suddenly snapped open. She saw Chibiusa and groaned. With one swipe of her hand, she knocked the eight-year-old off her bed.

"Ow, _baka_!" Chibiusa hollered. She glared at her future mother spitefully. "That hurt! I was just trying to tell you it's Tuesday. Mamo-chan is coming home!" Usagi looked over at the clock. 12:00. 12:00? That woke Usagi up. She jumped out of bed, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"I'm going to be late!" she yelled, running out of her room and towards the bathroom in a cloud of dust.

"N-n-no! How could I have overslept?" Chibiusa sighed. Sometimes she wondered if that girl had split personalities or something. A wonder that this was her mother.

"Chibiusa, what was Usagi so hyper about?" Ikuko asked, walking into the room. She got a look of annoyance on her face when she saw that her daughter's room was a mess again. Chibiusa sighed and walked over to her "aunt".

"I told her that Mamoru-san is coming home and she freaked out," Chibiusa said. She shook her head in disgust. "Ikuko-mama, that _baka_ needs an alarm clock. She's always late and always a crybaby and always a klutz and always a ditz." Ikuko smiled.

"And that's the Usagi we love, right?" she asked, pinching Chibiusa's cheek. "Besides, you're both practically the same. I mean, she is your cousin." Chibiusa hid a grin. Actually, Usagi was her mother, but she couldn't very well tell people that, now could she?

"Of course," Chibiusa giggled. She flopped down on Usagi's bed and decided to do her a favor. "Can we get a ride to the airport, Ikuko-mama?" Ikuko looked surprised.

"Sorry, sweetie," she said, patting Chibiusa's pink hair. "I can't. You should ask Kenji-papa."

"Awww…"

"Hush! Now go and get ready. When does Chiba-san's plane come in?" Chibiusa looked at the older woman quizzically. Usagi hadn't said when. She wondered about the time. Must be soon or else Usagi wouldn't have freaked out like she had.

"Soon, I think," Chibiusa said. Then she shrugged. "I don't know. Usagi didn't tell me."

"Usagi didn't tell you what?" a voice asked behind her. Usagi walked quickly into the room, all washed up and dressed. Chibiusa wondered how on earth that girl could move so fast. Chibiusa stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid.

"You didn't tell me what time Mamo-ch…I mean, Mamoru-san is coming home!" she wailed, fake tears running down her face. "I haven't seen him in over a year!"

"Haven't seen you in over a year either," Usagi piped up, getting a sly look on her face. "And you see Mamo-chan every day in the…" Usagi suddenly stopped and looked at her mother. "I mean, that is, you…um…used to see Mamo-chan everyday, so you should have a brain full of memories, _ne_?"

Chibiusa glared at the taller, yet still petite girl. "_Baka_, you are no fun." With that, she stomped out of the room. Ikuko stared at her daughter for a second.

"Um, I'm going to go and get lunch ready," she said. She reached the doorframe and looked back at her daughter. "Want anything special?"

"_Iie_," Usagi replied. She shrugged. "Maybe peanut butter and jelly." Ikuko nodded. Usagi got a _kawaii_ look on her face as she began grinning. "But we have to leave in an hour and a half. Mamo-chan's plane gets in a 3:00."

"_Ara_, 3:00?" she asked. "_Honto_?"

"_Hai_."

"Okay, then. I'll ask your father whether or not he can take you up to the airport. I'd like to see that nice young man again myself. How old is he now?" Usagi blushed.

"_Ano_, age hasn't really been a key thing in our relationship," Usagi said quickly, waving her hands around in front of her face. Ikuko began to look stern. "Um, he's three years older than me."

"Okay, at least you're honest," Ikuko commented. She looked over her shoulder. "Just don't let your dad hear that." Usagi giggled. She knew her dad overreacted every time she mentioned boys. Ikuko smiled also and left the room. Chibiusa sauntered in a few seconds after Usagi's mom left. Her red eyes were gleaming.

"So, he's coming in at 3:00?" she asked. Usagi glared at her intensely.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Usagi roared, her blue eyes turning into flames. She got a weird look on her face. Chibiusa grinned while she clicked her heels.

"What are you going to do if I was?" she replied in a singsong voice. She ran up to Usagi, yanked a blonde pigtail and ran off. "Catch me if you can, slow _baka_!" Usagi turned red as she started screaming.

"I'm going to get you Chibiusa!" she yelled before tearing out of her room.

"Yeah right!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, how'd it go?" Libra asked, tapping Emerald on the head. Her gold eyes gleamed a bit. "Find any clues yet?" Emerald bit her bottom lip. She was still trying to shake off that weird feeling that she felt during the "battle".

"There are too many sailor senshi," she said, crossing her arms. "Seven of them fronted me straight out while another three hid in the shadows." Emerald looked at the Oracle Mace in her hands hatefully. She had felt a tinge of guilt when she had attacked the pink sailor soldier.

"That's ten sailor soldiers," Libra whispered. She pulled on a blonde braid nervously. "What were the attacks of the three that hid in the shadows?"

"Aurora Borealis, Heaven Inferno, and Twilight Expansion."

"Oh, so the revelation really has begun?" a voice muttered through the darkness. A tall, slender figure stepped from the shadows a bit, the light casting an eerie darkness on her pale features. "Figures why you trashed our planet looking for that stupid talisman."

"Who are you?" Libra demanded as two more figures appeared next to the girl. "You're not a senshi of the zodiac, are you?" A white-haired figure shook her head, the long ponytail in the back swishing back and forth.

"Course not," she said, her green eyes snappy. "We've just come to see what your plan is. I mean, you've already searched our planet for the taboo talisman."

"What do you want?" Emerald asked, not bothering to look up. "I was just enrolled in this mission so if you want to fight for revenge, don't take it out on me." The tallest of the three, a brunette, looked a bit surprised.

"You look familiar," she whispered, low enough so that only her two companions could hear. She turned to them. "Doesn't she remind you of Sailor…"

"Who are you?" Libra suddenly flared up. Her gold eyes had frozen into ice. "Answer me now and I'll make your deaths a lot less painful." The first figure cocked her head to the side.

"Remember the last planet you attacked?"

Libra nodded.

"We're the sailor guardians from there. We have friends on that planet you're searching on. Very close friends. In fact, we've battled with them before."

"You're stowaways!" Libra gasped. She stood her ground. Turning back to Emerald, she said, "Go and get the others. Tell them we have adversaries on this ship."

Emerald looked over at the three. Something was vaguely familiar about them. But, no time for that now.

"_Hai_, I'll go." With that, she stood up and ran out of the room. Libra turned to face the trio. The white-haired figure groaned.

"Congratulations, _baka_," she groaned. "In a few seconds, we're going to have the entire ship turn on us."

"Well, I guess we've overstayed our welcome," the first one said, laughing a bit. "I guess we ought to leave." The brunette nodded.

"Next time, it'd be smart not to tell the entire story to the bad guys," she said.

There was a brilliant flash of light. Libra blinked a few times, only to realize that those three were gone. Her jaw dropped, but easily curved back into a smile.

"You can't escape that easily," she said, her voice echoing through the darkness. "I know exactly where you're headed."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Aw, come on!" Kei begged, grabbing Yomicha's arm. "Just because I'm a sailor soldier doesn't mean I can't have any fun." The three girls were sitting at an outdoor café in the middle of Juuban Shopping Mall.

Megumi just stared on at the two as she quietly drank her iced tea. They had been arguing for the last five minutes and neither had changed their mind. Megumi had decided just to stay out of the conversation. Besides, it was much more fun listening than participating.

"Yes, that's exactly what it means," Yomicha joked, prying the girl off her arm. Kei's face fell and Yomicha laughed. "You look so _kawaii_ when you get the puppy dog look on your face." Kei blushed.

"_Ara honto_?" she asked.

"_Honto_. Anyway, you have to stop bugging me. You have to be a bit more serious. We have very limited time to bring out this revelation." She was somber now. Megumi decided to finally say something.

"Of course, since Kei-san is going to be…" she lowered her voice and looked around, "…sacrificed, I think we ought to go. For all we know, it might be fun. Stop being such a stiff, MichiMichi-chan." Yomicha blushed a bit.

"Hey, I'm strict on this stuff," she replied, blowing some silver locks from her eyes. "I didn't get the title 'soldier of discipline' for nothing." Kei looked over at Megumi who had finished her iced tea.

I don't get it, she thought to herself. _Sometimes she sticks up for Yomicha-chan and other times she sticks up for me. I think she's indecisive. Then again, she's only, what, eight? Kids. I thought I understood them._

, she thought to herself. 

Megumi stared back at Kei with large green eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that, Kei-chan?" Kei quickly snapped out of her trance.

"No reason, no reason," she said, waving her hands in front of her face. "Just, um, daydreaming." Megumi cocked her head to the side.

"Well, can you daydream stare at someone else 'cause you make me uncomfortable when you look at me with this spaced out look in your eyes. It's like I have a wasp near my ear or something." Kei giggled at the childish response as she stood up. Yomicha and Megumi stood up too.

As they began walking, Kei wondered if her dad had gotten into Germany safely yet. He had left early this morning, before Kei was even awake. She had been mad at him for not saying good-bye because she knew she'd probably never see him again. Upset and hurt, she had called Yomicha and asked if she'd mind company. Of course, Megumi had made her tell her feelings. Kei had said nothing.

"I think she's daydreaming again," Megumi suddenly said, staring back at Kei. "Kei-san! Oh, Kei-san! Well, at least she's not staring at me." Kei blushed for nearly the umpteenth time that day.

"_Gomen ne_, Megumi-chan," she said with a giggle. "I'll daydream when I get back home. The I can daydream stare at the refrigerator and drool." Megumi burst into laughter. Yomicha laughed too. And they were laughing hard. Kei smiled, but the sight of them made her start laughing too.

Yomicha stopped to take a breath. "G-g-eez…" Burst of laughter, "…Kei-chan, you're…" Another row of giggles, "…too _kawaii_…" She couldn't even finish her sentence. After a couple more moments, they had all managed to suppress their laughter.

"So, where are we going again?" Yomicha asked, putting a hand on her hip. "The ice arena?" Kei nodded.

"Ice skating is fun," she said, twirling a violet tress. Her red eyes sparkled. "Plus, you always tend to meet up with some friends there. C'mon. It'll be fun." Megumi and Yomicha shared a look.

"Fun?"

Kei noticed the looks on their faces. "_Nani_? You don't know how to ice skate." Yomicha shook her head and Megumi shrugged.

"Last time we did ice skate was ten millennia ago," Megumi said, crossing her arms. "You tend to forget things that happened ten thousand years ago." Kei cupped her chin her hand.

"Well, I guess there's a second time for everything," she murmured. She quickly grabbed her two companions' hands and grinned. "Don't worry. I'm a …pretty good skater. It's real easy."

"Oh, sliding on a thin blade across slippery ice sounds real easy," Yomicha grumbled. "Some people can barely walk on ice with flat shoes on." Kei shrugged.

"Well, some people have the talent for it," she said. "That's what some people do for a living. So, it must be possible."

"Name one person who does that for a living."

"Um, my friend does. Her name is Seiko Hajime." Kei smiled a bit. "We call her Hajime-hime because she's like a princess out on the ice." Megumi shrugged.

"Maybe we can meet her," she said. Her green eyes scintillated a bit. She looked up at Yomicha. If someone is referred to as a princess, maybe she holds the taboo talisman. Kei, unaware of the glance exchanged between the two, began walking in the direction of the ice arena.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Konnichiwa_, Rei-chan!" Minako shouted, running up the steps to the Hikawa Jinja. Her blonde hair bounced softly against her back. Ami, Mako, and Hogoshi were right at her heels.

"_Konnichiwa_, _minna_-chan!" Rei called, waving with one hand and holding a broom with the other. A black crow was sitting comfortably on her shoulder. Rei turned her head to it. "Deimos, I need to speak with them." The crow seemed to understand as it flew from its perched port from Rei's shoulder and into a tree.

"Hey, Rei-chan!" Hogoshi yelled. "How's it going?" Rei shrugged. She wasn't wearing her _miko_-san clothes as she usually did, but a nice cool summer outfit. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail by a red ribbon.

"Not too good," Rei said. She looked back towards the shrine. "It's too hot to try and do readings in my fire over the new enemies and it's too hot to do chores. I'm restless." Ami nodded.

"Well, we can all get some studying done," she suggested. The others looked at her strangely. Ami didn't even blush. "Suspected."

"Oh, come on!" Minako said cheerfully. "It's a gorgeous day outside, not a cloud in the sky, and we're moping around. We need some action around here." Hogoshi sighed. Wasn't that just a few days ago that Minako didn't want to do anything but mope?

Mako looked around. "Hey, Usagi's not here?" she asked, her green eyes curious. Then she remembered. "Oh yeah. Mamoru-san is coming home today. She and Chibiusa are probably at the airport."

"How about we go down to the ice arena?" Ami asked. "It's not hot in there plus it'll be fun to try and skate around." She smiled. "Maybe when Usagi and the others get back, they can join us here too. I mean, we might as well stay until it cools off a bit."

Hogoshi blushed. "Ice arena? Skating? As in a thin blade across slippery ice?" Mako nodded.

"It's real easy, you know." Rei rolled her eyes and sighed sarcastically. The others looked back at her.

"Easy for you to say," she said, wiping a strand of black hair from her eyes. "You're the figure skater here." Mako smiled. She was, of course, the figure skater. It was a natural ability. Hogoshi groaned.

"Thanks for the confidence builder," she muttered. She flipped her brown hair elegantly. "Well, I can watch you guys slip and slide, but I'm not going out onto any ice and break my neck."

"Oh, you won't break your neck!" Minako piped up. "The only thing that might get hurt is your dignity." Hogoshi dropped her head.

"_Arigatou_, Minako-chan."

Rei suddenly looked up as a cool breeze passed through. Her violet eyes were suddenly blazing with a fire from within. "W-what? What just happened?" Ami looked at her with concern etching across her face.

"Rei-chan, are you all right?" Rei shook her head as the crows began squawking loudly above their heads. Rei felt a premonition rising from deep inside her, swelling with every passing moment.

"I'm going to the fire to see what's up!" she yelled, running into the shrine. The others stared after her.

"I'm not going in there," Minako said. "It's too hot."

"Well, I'm not going in there either." The comment was followed by silence. Curiosity got the best of them and they hurried inside after Rei. They found her kneeling in front of the raging fire. The room was a bit stuffy and definitely hot.

"What is it, Rei-chan?" Hogoshi called out, but Rei was deep in prayer. Her eyes were shut and her hands clasped together. She was chanting some foreign phrase to the fire. "Rei-chan?"

"Quiet," Rei hissed, still locked in prayer mode. "I'm receiving an image from my premonition. Listen." The girls were completely quiet and still as they listened to the sharp crackling of the fire. They didn't hear anything abnormal.

Rei could feel the swelling threatening to burst inside of her. But she carefully kept it down. Too much power might make the fire go out. She kept chanting, her voice low and monotone.

Suddenly, a voice so weak that it was barely audible sounded through their heads.

"_Sailor soldiers_…"

"Who was that?" Minako asked, her blue eyes growing larger by the minute.

"Someone's trying to communicate with us," Rei whispered, her eyes still shut. "But I can feel that they are unsure or lost, as if they don't have enough energy to send this message."

"Well, we need to help this person," Mako said. "If they're weak that means they might be in troub…"

"Quiet," Rei suddenly called. "They're trying to communicate again." The room became oddly quiet as they waited for the voice to speak up again.

"_Sailor soldiers…of the…Silver Millennium…_" The voice droned out for a second. The girls looked at each other, wide-eyed. Rei opened her eyes.

"Please, tell us who you are," she said, her voice haunting and quiet, as if not to frighten the owner of the voice.

"_My name…is…_" The voice suddenly flickered out again into an inaudible whisper. Rei tried again.

"Can you materialize yourself?" Rei asked gently. "Do you need any help?" There was a gently breeze in the room as if the figure was nodding its head. Rei turned to the others.

"I can keep the connection for them to get here," she said. "Hogoshi-chan, you probably have the most power in here since you receive power from the moon and the four outer planets. Take out your locket." Hogoshi took a deep breath and pulled out the silver and black compact.

"Okay, let's try again," Rei called out to the invisible force. "Can you see Hogoshi-chan?" Silence. "Hello?"

"Hello…"

"Can you see Hogoshi-chan? She's the one with the bro…"

"_I think I know who…she is…_" Hogoshi was a bit shocked. There were few people who knew her, except for maybe at school and some of Usagi's friends. Weird.

Rei just nodded. "Place your hand on her locket if you can." Hogoshi felt an eerie sensation spread across her arm. Her hand felt frozen as if it had been covered in ice. The locket glowed a bit by the invisible touch. There was a shimmering of light in the room.

The fire went out.

"Yikes!" Minako cried out as the room became pitch black. She blinked a couple of times. Well, it was pitch black. She could still see the others thanks to the eerie glow caused by the figure.

"The materialization is almost complete," Rei whispered as all eyes turned to the white figure. Hogoshi was watching with wide, terrified eyes. The white light of the figure dimmed away.

"Oh my god…"

"It can't be…"

The figure, a young woman, looked at them. Her green eyes sparkled a bit as she reached out to touch Hogoshi. "I'm Kakyuu-hime. Your planet is in grave danger."

"Kakyuu-hime!" Ami cried, her blue eyes wide. "What do you mean?" Kakyuu shook her head, the thick red strands of her hair shaking.

"I don't have enough power to keep this transfiguration up long," she said, her voice solemn and quiet. "All I know is that this will be your toughest fight yet."

"Can you tell us who we're up against?" Hogoshi asked. Her green eyes were hesitant.

"They call themselves the Sailor Constellations, senshi of the zodiac," Kakyuu said. "There are eight evil senshi, but the other two are good. They get their orders from a princess, whose power comes from Polaris, the North Star. However, I know for certain that that Princess is not their true Princess. Their true princess radiates with pure energy."

"How do you know about them?" Minako asked, her face serious and her manner sober.

"They've already attacked our planet, looking for a taboo talisman," Kakyuu replied.

"Taboo talisman?" Mako asked. "That's what Sailor Emerald was talking about." Kakyuu looked surprised, but her image began to dim.

"_Ara_, I'm losing power," she said, not sounding the least bit surprised. "Yes, you must defeat them. I believe you've had a similar experience of an enemy looking for something hidden inside humans." Yes, there had been three experiences of that.

The first had happened two and a half years ago when the Death Busters were in search of the Holy Grail. That's when Minako, Rei, Mako, and Ami had been introduced to all of the outer soldiers, who were in search of the messiah of light.

The third experience had been when Nephernia and her circus crew had gone around searching for the golden mirror, which held Pegasus. Unbeknowst to them, Chibiusa held the golden mirror since she had befriend Helios, Pegasus, earlier.

The second had occurred just over a year ago, when Galaxia had been wanting to put an end to the Sailor Wars. She had gone around taking anyone's star seeds, including those of the sailor senshi. They had met the Sailor Starlights and Princess Kakyuu in that battle.

"Kakyuu-hime," Hogoshi whispered as the princess began to fade. Her features began to glow faintly. "Is there anyway we can defeat them?"

"Be strong and never forget that your friends will never leave you," Kakyuu whispered, disappearing quickly. She smiled. "Even the ones you thought have." Kakyuu was suddenly gone and the fire raged up again.

Hogoshi didn't say anything. Something about what that princess had said had made her think. _Be strong and never forget that your friends will leave you. Even the ones you thought have._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi cried out, noticing the dark-haired figure coming out of the airport terminal. Her blue eyes lit up as she saw the handsome young man for the first time in a year. She ran over to him. "Mamo-chan! Mamo-chan!"

"Usa-ko!" he said as the blonde girl flung her arms around his neck. He was unable to hug her back since he was holding some baggage in his arms. Chibiusa didn't say anything as she wrapped herself around his leg. Mamoru staggered a bit.

"Can I, um, put my luggage down?" Mamoru asked, looking at his petite fiancee. Usagi didn't respond. She just slowly unwrapped herself from her boyfriend. Mamoru looked down at his leg. Chibiusa wasn't letting go.

"This is a big surprise!" Mamoru said, smiling. "I get Usa-ko and Chibiusa!" Chibiusa nodded and let go of Mamoru's leg. He quickly put his luggage down on the ground and opened his arms wide. Usagi fell back in, crying.

"Mamo-chan, I missed you so much," she said. Mamoru smiled and gently lifted her chin so his eyes looked into hers. In a liquid and slow movement, he bent down and kissed her. This kiss was warm and tender and made Usagi tingle all the way down to her toes. She hadn't felt so good in over a year.

Chibiusa groaned and tugged at Mamoru's pants leg. Even though she was eight, she could still be as cute as a five-year old. Usagi looked down at her. Chibiusa looked jealous. "Mamo-chan is my Mamo-chan." Usagi got a wise look on her face.

"Yeah, but he's your daddy." Chibiusa looked disgruntled. Usagi got a look of triumph over her face as she said, "So I guess Mamo-chan is my Mamo-chan."

"Um, maybe we should leave now," Mamoru suggested, sensing the tension between is future wife and daughter. He picked up his luggage. "We're holding up traffic." Usagi nodded and grabbed Mamoru's left arm. Not to be intimidated, Chibiusa grabbed his right leg. Mamoru tilted over a bit. He looked at his family and sighed.

"Hey, it's kind of hot outside," Chibiusa informed her future parents sweetly. "Maybe we should go over to the skating rink to try and cool off." Mamoru smiled and Usagi steamed.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," Mamoru said. Then he saw Usagi's face and got a weird look on his face. "Um, but let's stop at my apartment first so I can put my luggage up."

"Did you buy me a present?" Chibiusa asked. Mamoru laughed at her cuteness, making Usagi even more jealous. Usagi pulled on Mamoru's arm.

"Did you buy me a present?" she asked, her blue eyes sweet. Her boyfriend looked a bit overwhelmed.

"Hey, you've been asking me all these questions and I haven't been able to ask a single one," he said, walking out the front door. This was proving to be more difficult. Not only was he caring baggage, but also, Usagi and Chibiusa were claiming a body part.

"Hello, Chiba-san," Kenji said as he saw his daughter coming outside the airport. The two men shook hands. Usagi smiled as she clung onto Mamoru's arm.

"Dad, do you think that you could drive us over to the ice skating rink?" Usagi asked her dad as she climbed into the backseat. Kenji and Mamoru placed Mamoru's luggage into the trunk.

"Yeah, yeah!" Chibiusa cheered, looking at her "uncle" with large red eyes. "Please, Kenji-papa? Pleeeease?" Kenji chuckled a bit at her innocence. Chibiusa immediately climbed into the front seat next to Kenji. "We won't stay long. It's just so hot that we need to cool off and catch up with Mamo-ch… Mamoru-san."

"Well, if you come back home on time," Kenji said slowly, "I guess so. But let's drop off Chiba-san before we go anywhere else." Usagi and Chibiusa cheered. Mamoru blushed a bit. They sure hadn't changed even after what had happened a year ago.

Usagi looked up at the handsome young man. She hadn't seen him in over a year. She had told him about Hogoshi and the outer soldiers. The pain was beginning to diminish. But, she still missed them. They had given up their lives so that she and the others could live. They had stuck to that cursed promise which had cost them their lives. Why had they been willing to sacrifice themselves?

Haruka...Michiru...Setsuna...Hotaru…would she ever see them again?

"Usa-ko, what's wrong?" Mamoru asked, gently touching Usagi's cheek. Tears were flowing down her cheeks. Usagi shook her head. As much as she loved Mamoru, she couldn't tell him the feelings that were bothering her. Why had those painful feelings returned now? They were stronger then they had been.

"Um, just thinking about something," Usagi said, trying to smile. "Nothing too serious. You know me, crying for no reason." Mamoru shook his head.

"Those tears aren't of a crybaby, they're sincere," he said. Usagi knew she couldn't hide anything from him.

"I miss them," Usagi whispered. "I know it's been a year, but I can't stop thinking about them. Especially now. It's as if something, a presence, keeps reminding me that they're not here."

"What are you talking about?" Kenji asked, looking back at his daughter through the rearview mirror. He stopped at a red light. "You miss who?" Usagi had never told her parents or school "friends" of the outers' deaths. There hadn't seemed to be a reason.

"Oh, she just misses some friends who moved away last year," Chibiusa supplied, casting a look back at her teenage mom. "I think she'll see them again. After all, they could be coming back where I live." Usagi wondered what she was talking about. Coming back where she lived? The future? How would that…

That's it! All senshi are always reincarnated! Could it be that the outers were reincarnated in the future?

Seeing the hopeful look on Usagi's face, Chibiusa continued, "But my home is kind of far away. I doubt they'll be there yet." Usagi got a sour look on her face. Time was so confusing. Geez…

"Don't worry Usa-ko!" Mamoru said, smiling down at the petite blonde. "You still have Chibiusa, your friends, and me. We won't ever leave you alone. After all, you're our princess."

Usagi smiled warmly. "Thanks Mamo-chan."

Kenji shook his head as he drove on. "Kids. You just can't understand them…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Megumi stood confidently in her ice skates. She looked back at Kei, who was having some trouble walking toward her. They were still outside of the rink, waiting for Yomicha to join them. Megumi smiled mischievously.

"After you, Kei-chan," she said. Kei glowered at the little girl. Then she smiled.

"Cute outfit." Megumi was wearing black ice skating dress with red sequins. Her _odango_s were held up by two black bows. Megumi smiled at the comment. "You looked older than eight."

"And you look older than…" Megumi began, but stopped. Kei still looked her age. She had on a purple skirt and a white bare midriff top. "You look nice, Kei-chan." She giggled at Kei's expression.

"'Comment appreciated' would be a good thing to say, Kei-chan," a voice said from behind her. Kei spun around and saw Yomicha approaching them. She had on a blue blouse and black pants. She still looked like a guy.

"Okay, even though you insist that you're a girl," Kei said, smiling, "you still dress like a guy?" Yomicha waved the question away with her hand.

"I don't like skating dresses," Yomicha said. She walked toward the entrance to the rink. "So are you going to just stand there or come out here and ice skate?" She walked out onto the ice calmly. Moving forward gracefully, Yomicha turned back to the other two. "What are you waiting for? Come on."

Kei looked at the ice and took a deep breath. Maybe she had been exaggerating when she said that she was a pretty good skater. Kei stared off at Megumi who was hesitantly standing on the ice. Yomicha reached out her hand and Megumi took it gratefully.

Kei stepped out onto the ice carefully. Immediately, her feet slipped out from under her and she feel flat on her stomach.

"Oooow," Kei moaned, struggling to get to her feet. But her feet and the ice just wouldn't cooperate.

Yomicha and Megumi came skating up behind her. Other people easily passed them by, careful not to trip over the violet-haired girl.

"You okay?" Megumi asked, kneeling next to the girl. Kei gave her a dead stare and Megumi laughed. "I think I like your daydream stare better." Yomicha laughed too as she gently helped Kei to her feet. Kei began to slip again.

"Hey, hey," Yomicha yelped, holding Kei tighter. "You might want to try and stand up straight first. Then try moving forward, as if you were walking. Except your gliding. No! Don't lean forward unless you have some speed. Better." Kei moved forward a bit. Well, that was a start. Taking a deep breath, she moved forward a bit more.

"Good, Kei-chan!" Yomicha cheered. Megumi clapped as Kei was finally able to stand up without slipping on the ice. Kei smiled to herself. It was hard, but it was a start. Maybe next time she shouldn't open her mouth so quickly.

Kei skated forward slowly, holding tightly onto Yomicha's arm. She was walking more than she was skating. Yomicha groaned to herself.

"Kei, I think that you should try skating."

"Yeah, I think so too," Kei snapped, irritated that Yomicha didn't understand that she was having a hard enough time as it was. "But I don't know how to skate so get off my back." Yomicha grinned.

"Whatever you say," she said, letting go of Kei's arm. They had been going pretty fast and Kei, suddenly released from Yomicha's protective grasp, went flying away. Her red eyes widened as she struggled to get control of her legs, which had stiffened.

"YOMICHA-CHAN!" she screamed as she sped quickly into the crowd. She could hear Yomicha laughing from behind her. Kei held her arms out in front of her to prevent her from getting hurt too seriously.

Kei's cheeks turned pink as she tried to maneuver out of the crowd and grasp the wall. "HEEELP!" Kei looked up, saw a wall coming straight ahead, and nearly passed out. This was going to hurt a lot. She turned her head to look back at Yomicha who was casually skating toward her. What did she think she was doing?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone grabbed Kei's waist and spun her around, so that she was skating backwards. The touch made her waist tingle a bit. And then, she stopped. She saw Yomicha still skating toward her, laughing hard.

"Oh…lord…" Yomicha gasped, doubling over. Tears were streaming down her face and she was gasping hard. "Kei-chan…you…" That was it. She couldn't finish. Yomicha just started laughing again.

Kei glared at her. Then she turned around to thank the person who saved her. "Hey, thanks…oh. It's you."

Hogoshi smiled at Kei. "What do you mean by that? I just saved your dignity."

"My dignity was already hurt," Kei muttered, her cheeks turning as red as her ruby colored eyes. She spun towards Yomicha. Megumi skated up to the trio, breathing hard. Hogoshi put her hands on her hips, smiling. Her green eyes twinkled.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked as four other girls skated up behind her. Hogoshi groaned. "Now I have to introduce everybody." Kei shook her head.

"No, no," she said. "Let me. I know everybody here…I think." Rei shook her head and patted her red skating dress slightly.

"No you don't. Let Hogoshi-chan do it." The two girls looked at each other and Kei shrugged. Why not?

"Okay," Hogoshi said, taking a deep breath. She began pointing. "Kei-chan, this is Hino Rei-chan, Kino Makoto-chan, Mizuno Ami-chan, and Aino Minako-chan. _Minna_, this is Kei-chan. Well, you've met her already…" Kei nodded as the girls looked towards Yomicha and Megumi.

"_Minna_-chan, this is Kano Yomicha and Shidou Megumi," Kei said, happy that she didn't have so many people to introduce. She looked over at Minako, who was staring dreamily at Yomicha. Oh no! The girls still thought Yomicha was a guy.

"Um, Yomicha-chan, I think you have something to tell them," Kei mumbled loudly. Yomicha looked a bit confused, then saw Minako's face. Yomicha turned bright red and Kei got a bit of pleasure at finally seeing the sarcastic and boyish girl get embarrassed.

Kei grinned. "Go on."

Yomicha glared at Kei with murderous azure eyes. She then turned to the other girls. "I'm not a guy, so don't think it," she muttered beneath her breath. Kei grinned from ear to ear.

"I don't think they heard you."

Yomicha scowled. "I said that I'm a girl."

That was all that needed to be said. The shocked looks on nearly everyone's faces were good enough for Kei. Minako's pale blue eyes widened.

"A-a woman?" she sputtered. Her jaw dropped. "But you look like a guy." Hogoshi flinched at the words. Wasn't there someone else she knew and loved that looked like a guy?

Mako caught the sudden movement from Hogoshi and clapped her hand over Minako's mouth. "Oh, okay. I mean, I can see it now. You know, that you're a woman." Yomicha kept sending Kei hazardous glances.

"Happy?" she growled. Kei smiled.

"Yup."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sapphire looked around the desolate room. Where was everybody? She hadn't seen them since Emerald had told them that there had been stowaways in the palace.

"Why can't everybody just stay in one place?" Sapphire muttered to herself. She went to a mirror in the far corner of the room. Some senshi from the last solar system the zodiac senshi had attacked got to this place and then teleported off.

Sapphire walked over to a mirror in the far corner of the room. Just a couple of days ago, Emerald had gone through that mirror to get to Earth. She had come back very upset and had gone straight to Sailor Libra.

Looking into the mirror, Sapphire stared at her image. Her hair was ridiculously long, reaching all the way down to her ankles. The sailor fuku was too dark and brooding for her. Those blank eyes showed no depth. They were just plain empty.

"That's not me," she whispered to herself, reaching out to touch the mirror. The glass was cold, colder than ice. But the touch didn't seem to bother her. Sapphire looked down at her hand. Yes, her fingertips felt frozen, but…

Sapphire pushed harder onto her glass and felt her fingers go through gently. The mirror rippled like reflective silver water. Sapphire pulled her hand back and stared at it. She smiled to herself grimly. That was the door to the other world. Maybe…maybe if she went through, her memories might return. A flashback. Anything that could help her clouded and faded mind. The aqua eyes lifted away from her white-gloved hand and turned back to the image. What she saw was disturbing.

There was another person in the mirror. The soldier in the mirror looked remarkably like her, but different. Her hair was the same color, but much, much shorter. It was cut into a boy's style. The skirt, heart brooch, collar and back bow were dark blue. Her front bow was yellow…or was it gold? The same eye color, the same height, and wore the same expression on Sapphire's face.

Sapphire reached out to touch the figure. The mirror image did the same. Sapphire gently touched the icy surface of the mirror. Her hand accidentally went through the surface and the image wavered. The aqua eyes flew open as the moment was broken.

Sapphire stared sullenly at the mirror as the ripples slowly disappeared.

"Bunny-mama?" a voice asked from behind her. Sapphire spun around and saw Sailor Topaz standing on the other side of the room. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah right," Sapphire snickered, turning back toward the mirror. "I was just about to try and go find the talisman." Topaz smiled a bit, her pale features lightening some.

"Can I come please?"

"No." Topaz got a sour look on her face, her violet eyes freezing. Sapphire stared into the shallow eyes. Where had she seen that look before? Something echoed slightly through her mind.

Your daughter…

Well, whatever it was, it could wait another hour or so.

Grinning to herself, Sapphire turned back to the mirror. "Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me where many people gather when it's hot."

The mirror rippled and the image was distorted as another picture came about. Sapphire felt Topaz's presence at her side. The vision came back, a bit blurry, but then it focused.

"A skating rink?" Sapphire questioned. "Well, well, well. I guess I have a bit of investigating to do." She turned back towards Topaz, who was seething outwardly. "Hey pretty girl, you can come with me next time, okay?"

Topaz glared at her. "Fine," she said shortly before storming out of the room. Sapphire turned back to the mirror. The image had faded away and she could see her own mirror image again. She grinned sardonically. This would be fun.

Touching the glass slightly, Sapphire took a deep breath. Cautiously, she stepped through the bitter cold mirror. It rippled like a pool as the young woman stepped through.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Can I get something to eat?" Kei asked, rubbing her stomach. She stared at Yomicha with huge red eyes.

"I'm hungry." Yomicha stared at her.

"Hungry?" she gasped, pretending to be shocked. "What do you mean 'hungry'? You just had a milkshake, two hamburgers, a hot dog, some nachos, and cotton candy! You are going to be sick!" Kei groaned and grabbed the front of Yomicha's shirt. Then she made her eyes look even larger and innocent.

"Please, Yomicha-chan?" she said, making her voice sound small and desperate. "I'm still hungry and my stomach really, really needs some food. Pleeeeeease?"

"Man, I don't have the money for both you and your appetite," Yomicha groaned as she skated toward the rink exit. Kei cheered and skated behind her.

While walking…or skating…over to the exit, Kei spotted a girl with orange hair doing double axles near her. Kei's eyes lit up.

"Hajime-hime!" she hollered over to the slender girl. The girl seemed to ignore her and went into a backward spin, her leg held outward from her. The spin slowed down to an elegant turn. The girl finally looked up, her deep blue eyes glowing.

"Kei-chan!" she said, skating over to her. Her smile was radiant as she stopped in front of Kei. Yomicha turned around and saw Kei conversing with Hajime. She groaned to herself inwardly. Why couldn't that girl ever make up her mind?

"Kei-chan!" Hajime began, hugging the girl. Kei hugged her back, but her balance was disturbed and nearly fell over. Hajime grabbed her just in time as Kei's feet began to slip out from under her. Hajime laughed. "Still the same, Kei-chan. Why haven't I seen you in a while? I thought you were my best friend."

Kei blushed a bit. "I've been going through a lot lately and I just needed to have some time to myself."

"Some time?" Hajime asked skeptically. She raised a slender sun-colored eyebrow. "Seven months is a rather lot of 'some time'." Kei looked at her friend sadly. In a few weeks, she'd be in another dimension. Might as well be friends for the rest of her short-lived life.

"Kei-chan, don't look like someone just told you your dog died," Hajime teased, pulling one of Kei's purple curls.

"My dog did die! Remember Pipsi?"

Yomicha stared at the orange-haired girl slightly. She looked very familiar, almost adjacent to her. Megumi skated up to Yomicha very slowly.

Noticing the look in Yomicha's eyes, Megumi said, "What's wrong MichiMichi-chan? You're looking at that pretty girl like you're suspicious of her." Yomicha stared down at the petite, red-haired girl, raising a delicate silver brow.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "That girl just looks awfully familiar...as if I should know her from somewhere."

The silver-haired girl shrugged. "I'm just probably seeing things." Megumi grinned.

"You probably are," she agreed. Then, her tone changed to serious. "We must keep our mind on the revelation. This lifetime is different. I know it. Maybe something will cha-"

"Watch it, pretty girl," a deep voice advised, skating out of the way. Megumi turned around and saw a tall, sandy blonde-haired young woman standing behind her. She was wearing a black skating outfit with black roses in her hair.

Yomicha raised an eyebrow. "Watch where you're going, miss." The girl glared at her.

"I don't need to watch where I'm going," she hissed, her voice as cold as ice. "I think you owe me an apology."

"I don't owe you a thing," Yomicha retorted, her voice growing more irritated. "You're the one who nearly collided into us. You don't need to get an attitude over something that was clearly your fault."

The girl's cheeks turned red from anger. "You don't know what you're walking about. You better be careful what you say around me."

"Oh really?"

"You're asking for it."

Hajime and Kei noticed the commotion going on and skated towards the group.

"Hey, what's going on?" Hajime asked, her blue eyes sharp. "What are you two arguing about? What are your names?"

Yomicha glared at the blonde girl who was a bit shorter than she was. "Kano Yomicha. That girl nearly ran into Megumi-chan and didn't apologize." The girl just crossed her arms and got a crossed look on her face. Everyone turned to her, waiting for an explanation.

"Ryunnami Bunny," she said, her aqua eyes sharp. "I don't have time for this. I have better things to do then to talk to you."

"Don't get into any more arguments…"

"MINNA! WATCH OUT!"

Everyone turned around, only to see Usagi skating uncontrollably towards them. Her blue eyes were wide in confusion. Chibiusa, Mamoru, and Hogoshi were skating after her, top speed. Usagi was screaming at the top of her lungs as she slipped crazily on the ice.

Bunny stared at the oncoming odango-atama with surprise. She looked exactly like her! Usagi noticed Bunny as well and was briefly distracted from her terror. The blue eyes locked onto the aqua eyes for a brief second before Usagi crashed smack into Bunny. They both fell on the ice and went skidding backwards a couple of yards.

"Usagi-chan!" Chibiusa yelled skating toward the girl. She stopped in front of her as Usagi tried to untangle herself from Bunny. "You are such a ditz _baka_-Usagi!"

"Owww," Bunny moaned as she rubbed the back of her head. "Can't you ever watch where you're going?" Casting a glance at Yomicha, she grinned. "It wasn't my fault this time Kano-san." Yomicha just glared at her. Bunny rose to her feet swiftly. Then there was silence as everyone looked from Usagi to Bunny then to Usagi again.

"Wow, you two look just alike," Hogoshi breathed. Usagi looked at the taller young woman. She didn't think they looked alike at all.

Usagi then noticed a chain hanging from the girl's neck. On it was a glowing sapphire. "Wow, what a pretty necklace." She reached out and touched it. Almost immediately, she snapped her hand back. That sapphire of hers was omitting large amounts of evil energy.

"I have to go," Bunny mumbled under her breath, after noticing the shocked expression on Usagi's face. "See ya." With that, she skated away swiftly, leaving Usagi left in a daze. Her blue eyes became deep in concentration before filling with tears.

That scent of wind, she thought, looking over at Hogoshi. _That same scent of wind. The regal air of a princess. Those haunting aqua eyes and that deep voice. It couldn't be…but I felt it. That's impossible. Impossible_…

, she thought, looking over at Hogoshi. … 

"Hey, how is it that we're all at the skating rink?" Hogoshi joked, tapping Chibiusa on the head. "I mean, we have Kei and her friends, the other four girls, and now the moon family. Now is that weird or what?"

"Seems like we were thinking the same thing," Kei said. Her stomach growled. "Oh, Yomicha-chan! I'm still hungry. Can we go and get something to eat?" Yomicha groaned as Megumi giggled at bit. Hajime shook her head.

"One thing's still the same: your appetite," she murmured. Usagi smiled. Food sounded nice. After all, she didn't have lunch or breakfast.

"Mamo-chan, can we get something to eat too?" she asked, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. Chibiusa nodded in agreement. "I want a strawberry milkshake and a cheeseburger and some nachos and some cotton candy. Yeah, all of the above." Mamoru's jaw dropped.

"What? All of that?" he gasped, astonished. "Does your appetite ever weaken?" Usagi gave him a larger smile and hugged him.

"Please, Mamo-chan?" she begged. Chibiusa grabbed his right leg and held on.

"Yes, please, Mamo-chan," she pleaded, her russet eyes growing larger each second. "We didn't eat breakfast or lunch and we're really hungry and we might die of hunger and we need some food…"

"Um, I'll see what I can do," Mamoru responded, skating over to the rink exit. "What do you want?"

"Chili dogs! And cotton candy and milkshakes and nachos and cheeseburgers and…and…"

"Why don't you just come with me?"

"Yea!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bunny skated off the rink, her confusion and anger bubbling into frustration. That petite blonde that had run into her and given her a dim flashback. It was so dim, that all she could see was a blurry vision of a glowing cup-like object being held by a girl with butterfly wings. What did that mean?

Bunny walked awkwardly off the ice and pulled off her ice skates. Might as well get the job over with now. She'd figure that stupid flashback sooner or later.

Gazing around, she quickly walked over to a door that said EMPLOYEES ONLY. Bunny clucked her tongue as she pushed the door open. A young man sat on a wooden chair, taking a break. Bunny wasn't the least bit surprised.

"Hey!" the guy yelped, quickly standing up. "Skaters aren't allowed back here." Bunny grinned as her eyes twinkled evilly.

"I know," she said, her voice near a whisper. Dark energy gathered around her hand. The boy's purple eyes grew wide.

"Are you a witch?" he gasped, backing away slightly. Bunny grinned as the sapphire on her chest glowed. The glow wrapped her in a blue light before dimming down. Instead of Bunny, Sailor Sapphire now stood in her place. The dark energy in her hand materialized into the Oracle Mace.

"Um, I think I'll leave now," the guy said, shaking. Sweat was pouring down his face as Sapphire lifted the tip of the Oracle Mace to him. A black beam shot out, heading straight for the guy. Too stunned to move, the guy was hurdled back against the wall by the beam.

A white orb flew from the young man's chest. His body fell limp as the spirit chalice flew away from him. His skin paled as his eyes went lifeless. Sapphire smiled as the spirit chalice flew toward her. Gently touching it, she stared at it slightly.

Flash!

"Please give it back," a girl cried, on her knees. She looked rather weak.

"I will…"

"…because it's not a talisman," someone else finished.

"Return it to it's true owner!"

"The destruction is coming. We must find the three talismans!"

Sapphire's eyes snapped open. What was that? Her hands were shaking as she automatically threw the spirit chalice back to the boy. His skin became warm again and he began breathing slowly.

"You won't even remember anything," Sapphire laughed, leaving the room. But that shaking feeling was still inside of her. Stepping out of the room, she smiled.

"Time to do a little more than the emanation," she said, looking out towards the ice rink. "It's time to be a little more creative."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi sat at the seat, her face absolutely aglow. Her eyes turned into sparkles at the sight of all the food in front of her. She hugged Mamoru tightly.

"Thank you Mamo-chan!" she cried, kissing him on the cheek. "I promise I won't waste a single bit of it." Mamoru nodded.

"I guess Chibiusa won't either," he joked, pointing to the table. Chibiusa was already eating some of the food. Usagi's blue eyes grew wide.

"Hey brat! Stop!" she hollered, grabbing one of Chibiusa's pigtails. "That's my food too!" Chibiusa pushed Usagi back and stuck out her tongue.

"Not anymore," she said, looking at Mamoru. "My boyfriend bought it for me." Usagi went into a crazy mode, her anger bubbling up.

"He's my boyfriend, Chibiusa!" she screamed. Mamoru began to get embarrassed as people began looking in their direction.

"Um, Usa-ko…" he whispered, tugging his hysterical girlfriend's arm. Usagi stopped for a moment to catch her breath before starting to yell at Chibiusa again.

She would have continued yelling if a scream hadn't stopped her from doing so. Usagi looked up in surprise. She looked out the glass that separated the café from the skating rink. Everyone in the café looked out at the crowded skating rink and gasped.

"Usagi-chan!" five voices cried at the same time. Hogoshi and the others came running into the café. They looked out at the skating rink in horror.

A black-clad sailor soldier was standing in the middle of the rink holding the black scepter they had seen in the last battle. Her long, long pigtails hung all the way down to her black boots. Black roses were placed in her pointed odangos. She was aiming the Oracle Mace and shooting at everything and anything.

Usagi looked at the others in shock. "_Minna_-chan, we have to go and stop her." Hogoshi shook her head, the blood rushing from her head.

"No, not while she has possession of that thing," she whispered. "And our attacks don't even work." Usagi looked from one face to another.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" she cried. Chibiusa stood up in her chair and balled her hands in her fist.

"Yeah, we can't let innocent people get hurt!" she cheered, her pink pigtails bobbing enthusiastically. Mamoru clapped his hand over her mouth. They were, after all, still in a crowded place.

"Usagi-chan and Chibiusa-chan are right," Mako said. Her green eyes were fierce. "No one is going to get away with this." Ami nodded her head.

"Hogoshi-chan's right too," she said. "We need to be careful or else we'll be waist-deep in a lot of trouble."

The others nodded in agreement and rushed to the back of the room. Opening the exit door, they rushed out. Hogoshi was still against the idea when she heard a crash in the other room. She turned around and saw that the glass had shattered, sending black beams everywhere in the restaurant. People fell lifeless as their spirit chalices floated from their bodies. Anger grew inside of her.

"Let's do this," she hissed, slamming the door behind her. She pulled out her locket. Raising it above her head, she called out, "Destiny Cosmos power, make UP!" In a flash of silver stars, Sailor Destiny appeared. Her green eyes were snappy.

Nodding their heads at each other, the others transformed as well. Suddenly standing were seven sailor senshi and Tuxedo Kamen.

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon and Chibi Moon yelped. Last time they had seen Tuxedo Kamen was during the last battle against Nephernia. They hugged him tightly.

"We don't have time for this," Mars snapped, bumping Sailor Moon on the head. "We need to help those people!"

"We'll try our attacks again, okay?" Venus asked, running ahead of them. "C'mon! Let's go!"

The soldiers ran around a corner and into the skating rink. People lay scattered across the ice, dead or unconscious. Destiny looked around in horror at the white spirit chalices floating above the owners. She then spotted a familiar figure lying nearby.

"Kei-chan!" she yelled, running towards her. Her feet were slipping on the ice, but that didn't matter. She kneeled next to Kei. There was no spirit chalice floating over her. "Kei-chan, are you all right?"

Kei groaned and stirred a bit. She began to regain consciousness. Blinking a few times, she groaned some more. "W-who are you? Where's Yomicha-chan and Megumi-chan and Hajime-chan?"

"My name is Sailor Destiny, miss," Destiny replied, helping the violet-haired girl sit up. "It's my duty to protect the people of this planet. We'll find your friends. Now you must get out of here." Kei nodded and struggled to sit up. Sailor Jupiter rushed over and helped Kei up. Walking slowly back to the rink, she looked at Tuxedo Kamen.

"Do you think you can get her out of here?" she asked. Kei struggled to shake her head.

"Not without my friends," she whispered. Her red eyes were tired. "I'm not leaving without my friends." Venus shook her head.

"We'll find them," she said, touching Kei's arm gently. Kei shrugged her shoulders and walked away.

"I'll be okay," she called back and then broke out into a run. The others stared at her. She seemed to have recovered fast.

Sailor Moon shook her head. "They're not here. Hajime-san is, but her spirit chalice is gone. Yomicha-san and Megumi-chan are gone." There was a laugh. Sailor Moon grabbed Tuxedo Kamen's arm, but looked around the rink determinedly.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"Hold on there, pretty girl," a voice said with a chuckle. "Don't get overexcited." There was a flash of blue light and Sailor Sapphire appeared, hovering over them. "My name is Sailor Sapphire, soldier of darkness." Destiny stared at the blonde soldier.

"Sailor Sapphire, huh?" she asked, her voice wavering. She was feeling very uneasy around this girl. Her locket glowed dark blue a bit. "Why do you want to hurt innocent people?" Sapphire smiled as the Oracle Mace materialized in her hands.

"Now, why would I tell you that?" she asked, floating down to the ground. Tuxedo Kamen pulled out a rose and flung it at her. Sapphire just stared at the approaching object. Pointing the Oracle Mace at it, she fired. The rose disappeared in the black beam.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" Sailor Moon cried, pulling out the moon tier. Nothing happened. Sailor Moon's eyes widened in shock. "What? It doesn't work? The silver crystal isn't working…?"

Sapphire laughed. "The sailor leader's power doesn't work? Oh, this is too good." She pointed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Moon, an evil glint in her eye. "Good-bye now." There was a finger snap.

"I wouldn't bet on it."

Sapphire lowered the Oracle Mace, turning around to the stand behind her. "Who's there?"

Suddenly, the lights went out, the only glow from the red exit signs. Then a white spotlight came on, shining on three figures in the stands. Sailor Moon's eyes widened.

"It couldn't be…"

"For the planets that fought with us," the white-haired figure called out.

"For the princess who stood by us…" the tallest one said, her violet eyes shimmering.

"And for the moon child who always believed in us," the final figure called out. "I am Sailor Star Fighter!"

"Sailor Star Maker!"

"Sailor Star Healer!"

"Sailor Starlights! Stage ON!"


	10. Episode 228

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

* * *

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 228: The returning past memories? Playing the game

* * *

Sailor Moon smiled widely. "Fighter! Maker! Healer!" Sapphire glowered at them.

"More senshi?" she whispered. Her aqua eyes looked upset. She sneered at them. "You wanna fight?"

Maker shook her head, the brown ponytail swinging. "How come you guys aren't fighting her?" Sailor Chibi Moon shrugged.

"Our powers don't work," she said. Fighter looked at the tiny soldier for a second. Her blue eyes seemed to be regarding her. Shaking it off, she turned her attention back towards Sapphire.

"Well, let me try," Fighter said, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Star Serious Laser!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!"

The three attacks combined into one and went straight for Sailor Sapphire. Sapphire glared at the oncoming attack. She turned back to the planet senshi. "None of those chalices held the taboo talisman. I'll see you later." She disappeared in a flash of blue lights.

The attack disappeared as the spirit chalices floated back into the owners' bodies. The people began to stir. Sailor Moon looked up at Sailor Star Fighter with wide blue eyes.

"You guys!" she cried, her smile large. "Thank you so much."

"I guess we need to fill you in on some things," Healer joked. She brushed a white strand of hair from her face. "And you need to tell us some things too."

"The sailor senshi?" Hajime whispered, sitting up. She looked over at them. "You saved us. How can we ever thank you?"

"It's out duty as the planet and starlight senshi," Sailor Moon said. "We protect this planet and save this galaxy." The others nodded in agreement before running to the rink exit. The Starlights followed them outside.

In the dark shadows, Capricorn stared out over the reviving people. "So, the chalice wasn't in any of these people. I thought for sure Hajime would have it." Scorpio nodded.

"We should go and try to find Kei-chan," she said. "She's probably worried sick."

"Or just plain sick," Capricorn said with a laugh. "She ate seven chili dogs and drank three milkshakes. I hope she doesn't get too sick." Scorpio laughed as the two senshi of the revelation walked out the exit door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was late now. The sun was setting out over city of Tokyo, casting red and orange light all over the city. The sun was halfway visible as glowing silver stars appeared in the sky. The shadows cast a warm look over the city. The sailor senshi had gathered on top of the building where they had said good-bye to the Starlights over a year ago.

"Why'd you guys come back?" Mako asked, looking over at the three young men. "I mean, you don't think we can handle the zodiac senshi ourselves?"

"No, that's not it," Seiya said, a sigh in his voice. "It's just that those guys are strong and they don't play fair. Oddly enough, Sailor Emerald and Sailor Sapphire didn't attack our planet."

Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Maybe they could've been a trump card or something."

"_Iie_," Yaten whispered, his snappy green eyes dark. "Everyone was used in that battle. They left our planet in utter ruin and now have come to your solar system." Minako shrugged.

"Well, we just beat them up like we always do," she said, tugging a loose strand of blonde hair. "I mean, we've never lost and don't plan to lose any time soon." Hogoshi glared at Minako spitefully.

"If you don't recall, remember what happened in the last battle we fought?" she hissed. Usagi stared wide-eyed at Hogoshi, who looked more angry than sad as she usually did. Seiya held up his hand to stop her.

"Wait a second," he said, staring at her. "I should have asked earlier. Who are you and," he looked at Chibiusa, "you? What happened in the last battle you fought? Start filling us in."

"My name is Arakino Hogoshi a.k.a. Sailor Destiny," Hogoshi said, pointing to herself.

"And I'm Tsukino Chibiusa," Chibiusa said eagerly, her pink ponytails bouncing enthusiastically. "I'm Usagi and Mamo-chan's 30th century daughter and Super Sailor Chibi Moon."

"_Odango-atama_'s daughter?" Seiya said, his eyes getting larger. He began laughing. He kneeled down and kissed Chibiusa's hand sweetly. "Nice to meet you, Miss Chibi-Usagi." Chibiusa giggled and tugged Usagi's hand.

"He's cute," she said, a pink flush spreading through her cheeks. Usagi gasped.

"Seiya-kun? Cute?" she yelled. She got a weird look on her face. Seiya didn't even falter as he winked at Usagi. Usagi blushed as she began jumping up and down. "Seiya-kun is NOT cute!"

"Chill, Usa-ko," Mamoru said, holding his girlfriend tightly. She was throwing a fit.

"I thought you were the legendary soldier of love and justice," Seiya chuckled, teasing Usagi slightly. "You had taken care of the light of hope, remember? Remember Chibi Chibi Moon?" Usagi stopped jumping as she remembered the minute red-haired infant soldier.

"Yeah, I do," she whispered. "I saved the world. But I couldn't have done that if it hadn't been for my friends."

For the first time, Taiki spoke up. "You put Chaos away for good. You saved the galaxy. However, compared to what you're going against now, Chaos was just a rookie. But, what was the last battle you were in?"

"It was a year ago," Usagi started. "A couple of weeks after you guys had left. Rei-chan had this ominous premonition. Two asteroids were heading towards Earth and the outer planets were completely covered with the darkness from the tails of the asteroids. Anyway, that was just the beginning. Three new evil sailors showed up. MagicStar, DreamStar…"

"…and Sailor Destiny," Hogoshi muttered bitterly. "I had been sleeping since the Silver Millennium. My soul was gone. My sisters convinced me that if I had the four souls of the outer senshi, I could get my soul back. My memories were clouded so I didn't know. I know now that my 'sisters' had some sort of hidden fury against the outers and wanted revenge. So, one by one, I took their souls. But after taking Sailor Neptune's, my memory returned. Uranus was sick and we needed Sailor Saturn. We brought her and the others to the Dark Moon where the inners and I fought against my 'sisters'…" Hogoshi stopped and lowered her head.

"We couldn't win," Chibiusa continued. "The outers…Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Pu, and Hotaru-chan…used a forbidden power. If they use it, they'd die. By the time the Sailor Twins were destroyed, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn were already dead." Tears began pouring from the sorrowful red eyes. "Pu told us what happened before she died too…" Chibiusa couldn't help it as tears poured down her cheeks.

"It's been exactly one year," Ami said. "But those feelings are more powerful then ever. It's like that raw emotion has come back to haunt us."

Taiki shook his head and looked towards the ground. "That story doesn't make any sense." Usagi looked at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"I understand what he's saying," Yaten agreed, tapping his cheek thoughtfully. "How on earth could Hogoshi-san live without a soul?" There was silence as everyone took that comment to heart.

"Your soul is your life," Seiya said. "Without one, you can't live. I think the situation is: Hogoshi-san, your 'sisters' tricked you. You had a soul all along, I think. They just wanted revenge and made up a reason to go with it." Hogoshi's jaw dropped as she let the realization deepen. Her green eyes widened.

"Still, there is a chance of a hyperspace gate opening when you took their souls," Taiki said quickly, noticing the look on Hogoshi's face. "If you took souls into your body when you already had one, that creates a distortion in space, especially since all the souls were the immortal ones of the senshi. A hyperactive gate where the souls were taken might have appeared."

"A hyperspace gate?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow cynically. "What's that?"

"It's created when two or more of a very powerful energy are combined," Yaten explained. "The force, as slight as it may seem, rips a space gate in the air. It's called a hyperspace gate since the energy around it is abnormally high."

"_Nani_?" Usagi gasped, her blue eyes growing wider. "What the heck is that? I lost you when Taiki said 'still, there is a chance'. Where do these gates lead to?" Seiya shrugged.

"I'm not sure," he said, wiping a black wisp of hair from his face. "No one has ever gone through a hyperspace gate before. I don't want to find out what lies on the other side of it."

"Well, that's what we're going to do!" Usagi piped up, stepping away from Mamoru. Her blue eyes were serious as she looked up at Seiya. "We are going to go through the gate and find out what's on the other side. It has to be something good." Ami shook her head vigorously.

"No!" she said, her face etched in concern. "We'd need a pretty strong shield to keep from getting sucked into the hyperspace gate. It would be most powerful where Destiny collected the last soul. Where was it?"

"The Dark Moon," Hogoshi replied, raising her head. "Saturn gave her soul to me for courage, I guess. But, the Dark Moon was literally destroyed when we transported out of there." Tears filled in her eyes. "Destroyed with their bodies still in there."

"So, we're going to transport to the ruins of the Dark Moon," Mako said, smiling. "We find their bodies, return their souls, and suddenly, we have the outer soldiers back." Then she frowned. "Too easy."

"You're right. The hyperspace gate is dangerous to travel through without a time key. It's located in the fourth dimension, Time."

Minako's eyes widened to their maximum extent. She looked around at the others, who also wore shocked expressions on their face. Hogoshi looked at her brooch for a second. Wasn't it glowing for just a brief second?

"Did you guys here that?" Minako asked. "That sounded a lot like Sailor Pluto." Rei put her index finger and middle fingers together and brought them to ears.

"Yeah, I can feel some very weird vibrations here," she whispered, her face deep in thought. She closed her eyes. "Setsuna-san…are you there…"

"Traveling through such a dangerous area is a death sentence. The hyperspace gate hasn't been opened in centuries upon centuries. To go through would be risking your life without a barrier and a time key."

"Pu!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"That was too weird," Bunny whispered. Atlantica, Zephyr, and Skylar sat around her, looking a bit upset at the news. The four young women were sitting in the dark room that was lines in mirrors. "I had two flashbacks when I went after the ice arena. And it had the same girl in both of them. She looked like one of the sailor senshi I was fighting against. The sailor leader." Zephyr shook her head.

"Well, I'm going out for it next," she said, getting to her feet. Skylar stood up as well. "I'm going to try a concert hall that's been opened for a couple of years now." Skylar's eyes shone.

"Can I come Zephyr-mama?" she begged, her violet eyes glowing. Zephyr smiled a bit.

"Sure, but this is my mission so don't do anything important," she said. Skylar nodded and the two senshi left the room.

"God, this so damn frustrating," Bunny suddenly called out, banging her fist onto the seat. Her eyes welled up in anger. "That girl was in my past, I know it. In the first flashback, she looked at me with such love. And in the second flashback, she looked so sad and there was this confusion in her eyes. I don't get it. I think that girl was…Sailor Moon."

Atlantica raised a delicate eyebrow. "Do you think she's the key to our past?" Bunny didn't respond. Her eyes looked so desolate. Atlantica looked at the sorrowful eyes and her heart nearly broke. That anguish she felt rose within her throat.

Leaning over a bit, she wrapped her arms around Bunny's neck, closed her eyes, and kissed her gently on the cheek. Bunny's aqua eyes snapped open. Atlantica pulled away, her cheeks flushed rose. Bunny touched her cheek softly.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked, her voice gentle. Atlantica shrugged her shoulders as Bunny broke away from her grasp. The two girls looked at each other for a split second as a memory flashed through their minds.

A woman dressed in gold stood in front of them. Victory flashed across her face. "You're going to die, but there is still a way."

A tall blonde soldier looked at her skeptically. "I'll be glad to here it."

"If you have these bracelets that contain my power, you can live even if you don't have your star seed. What are you going to do?"

A green-haired soldier scoffed at the offer. "If I have to take your orders, it's better to die."

A tiny purple clad soldier agreed. "Yeah, who's going to be a servant to you?"

The blonde soldier looked a bit interested through. "Interesting. If I can get that bracelet, I can live?"

The golden woman nodded.

The blonde looked back at a wavy green-haired soldier. "If I can be with you, I don't mind selling my soul to the devil."

"Okay."

The other senshi couldn't believe it as their allies stood up.

"I'm with you until I die."

"Let's be together in hell."

Bunny looked at Atlantica in shock. "What the hell was that?" she gasped. Atlantica didn't look any better. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to remember what was in her vision. But it was gone, leaving no traces whatsoever in her mind.

Bunny buried her face in her hands. "God, why can't I remember anything? I've noticed that through all flashbacks that none of the zodiac senshi appeared."

"Well, maybe they weren't in our past," Atlantica muttered. Her turquoise eyes were dark as she looked up at Bunny. "Maybe they tricked us." Bunny shrugged.

"I wouldn't toss away trust that easily," she replied, rising to her feet. "Besides, I'm all for getting my memories back. But how to get them back is a whole 'nother story. If worse come to worse, we might have to ask Miss Eternal Sailor Moon."

"Why ask that brat?" Atlantica argued, looking a bit cross. "If you don't recall, she was the one fighting against us."

"Yeah, but I received some flashbacks when I was in her presence," Bunny said. She looked out the door and then back to the mirror that led to the outside world. Goosebumps ran up her arm. It was the same mirror where she saw that soldier staring at her. She hadn't told anybody, but she felt as if she should tell Atlantica.

"Before I left to go looking for that talisman," Bunny whispered, her aqua eyes dark and a bit hazy, "there was someone else in that mirror. But it wasn't me."

"Maybe you were seeing things."

"No, I'm positive I wasn't…you know what? Forget I said anything."

Atlantica shook her head. "Oh, no you don't. You are not going to not tell me. Speak up." Grabbing Bunny's wrist, she made her face the mirror. "Now what happened?"

Bunny took a deep breath as she looked at the image in the mirror. There was that empty expression again. Those dead looking eyes and that pale face looked too much like that of a ghost. Bunny stared at those aqua colored eyes. That image…she didn't know who it was. But it couldn't possibly be her.

Reaching out to touch the glass, Bunny shook her head. Her hand touched the frozen and reflective glass gently. Pushing a bit harder, her hand went through the mirror, causing silver ripples to spread through the surface of the mirror. Raising her eyes, she looked at the image. It wasn't her.

Atlantica gasped as she stared at the figure in the mirror. It wasn't the Bunny she knew. It was someone else wearing a navy blue sailor suit. Those eyes weren't as dead and to Atlantica's own surprise, realized she could actually read those eyes. They were so haunting.

Bunny stared at the image. "Who are you?" she mouthed. Bunny's eyes widened as the figure moved her own hand away. The figure had a mind of her own?

"I'm the sleeping you," the figure said, her voice as haunting as her eyes. "The part of you that's missing. I'm your memories, your life, your past."

"Oh really?" Atlantica asked skeptically. She raised a delicate eyebrow. "Exactly what do you mean by that? Who are you really?"

"I wish I could tell you that," the figure said, turning the gaze to Atlantica. "But it's not up to me. You have to tell the princess."

"What can the zodiac princess do for us?" Bunny sneered. "She's practically ignored us since we got here."

"Not that princess," the figure said, her image starting to waver. "You must ask…"

"Hey, wait!"

"…Serenity…" Bunny's original image returned as the old figure disappeared. Atlantica shook her head.

"Well, I believe you now," she said. Her blue eyes were thoughtful. "So, we have to ask Miss Sailor Moon about our past. Things are getting stranger and stranger."

"I agree."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A figure wearing a red-clad zodiac senshi outfit stood near the doorframe of the room, out of sight. Her violet eyes narrowed. A taller figure stood next to her, wearing a green sailor outfit.

"They're asking for a swift death," Aries said, her voice quiet as she walked away from the room. "Didn't Aquarius say that if they recalled past memories they'd die?"

"I guess she was wrong," Sagittarius muttered. She looked at Bunny and Atlantica with an evil look in her eyes. "But they're going to go to Sailor Moon for help. That absolutely cannot happen."

"Just don't go and get the princess upset when trying to do this," Aries snapped, upset that her friend talked to her as if she had no mind of her own. "She'll try to kill them if you do!"

"I know," Sagittarius muttered as she stared back at the two sailor senshi in the black room. "I know."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Seiya-chan, exactly what are you guys doing here again?" Usagi asked, a bit bored. The senshi had gone to a sports center that was open until midnight. She watched Seiya and Mamoru play one-on-one in the basketball court. She yawned loudly.

Seiya turned back to Usagi. "What? Didn't I tell you? We're helping you guys fight those zodiac senshi." Mamoru took the opportunity to make a basket behind Seiya's back. Seiya spun around, his black ponytail flying. "Hey! That wasn't fair!"

"You shouldn't have been talking to Usa-ko," Mamoru laughed, making Seiya a bit embarrassed. Usagi noticed him blush and wondered a bit. Just over a year ago, Seiya had had a crush on Usagi. Since Mamoru was killed by Galaxia, Seiya thought he had a chance. He even flirted with her when Mamoru had returned. But, that was a year ago…

"Seiya-chan, do you remember Haruka-san and the others?" Usagi asked, bored again. She wished she hadn't agreed to stay with Mamoru. Her friends had gone to the tennis court or swimming pool with Taiki and Yaten. Seiya looked back at Usagi.

"Why would you ask something like that?"

"No reason. I was just wondering what your first impression of them was. I don't think you liked Haruka-san," Usagi said slowly. Then she gasped. She hadn't meant to say that last part aloud. Seiya's eyes widened.

"Why do you say that?" Seiya replied. Even Mamoru had stopped playing basketball to stare at Usagi. Usagi blushed.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, Seiya-chan," she said, her voice small. "I really didn't. It's just that…"

"You miss them?"

Usagi spun around at the new speaker. Taiki and Yaten had walked up and were staring at her oddly. Surprised by the sudden response, Usagi could only nod.

"It wasn't that anyway," Seiya muttered. He looked a bit upset. "First impression type of thing was going on. I thought she was your boyfriend. 'Cause I thought she was a guy." Mamoru stared at Usagi for a second, then at Seiya.

"You thought Haruka-san was Usa-ko's boyfriend?" he asked, dumbfounded. He chuckled to himself. "Well, there's a new one for me. You never told me about that one."

"Well, there's a whole lot you don't know," Usagi said quietly. Yaten frowned.

"Do we need to get into this now?" he asked, his green eyes snappy. "I mean, we came here to take a break from being senshi and…forget it."

"_Baka_-Yaten!" Seiya snapped. "If you're going to say something, say it!"

"I agree," a cool voice said from behind them. The five young people turned around, only to see a tall young woman standing behind them. She smiled. "It's a waste of time to try and make people talk, so just say what's on your mind and get it over with." Usagi stared at the young woman. Her forest green was long, to her knees, and was pulled back with a black bow into a braided pigtail. Her crimson eyes were dark and brooding and even her smile was a bit haunting.

"Who are you, miss?" Taiki asked politely. The girl's smile disappeared.

"Who am I?" she asked incredulously. She lifted a delicate green eyebrow. "My name is Kae Zephyr. And, may I ask your names?"

"Tsukino Usagi."

"Chiba Mamoru."

"Kou Yaten."

"Kou Seiya."

Taiki remained silent, staring at the beautiful young woman intensely. His violet eyes gleamed as she stared back at him. There was a moment of silence.

I think I know you, Taiki thought. _I have the strangest feeling that I've met you somewhere, sometime, before this moment. Before…I've seen those crimson eyes somewhere before…somewhere…_

, Taiki thought. 

"So, who are you?" Zephyr asked again. She walked up to him so that her face was just inches from his. Both eyes were regarding each other. Taiki felt an odd sensation coming from her. A weak aura, that seemed to be suspended in air, hung around her.

"Kou Taiki," Taiki whispered softly. "Nice to meet you again, Zephyr." Usagi's eyebrows shot towards the ceiling.

"Again?" she asked, flabbergasted. She looked over at the brown-haired young man. "You've met Zephyr-san before?"

"Well, I haven't met him, for sure," Zephyr said softly. She stared back at Taiki and he felt that shivering again as a ghostly feeling spread through him.

"Taiki-san, protect the princess for now. Protect her…"

Taiki's head snapped up as the voice echoed through his mind. Surprised, he stared at the retreating figure. He felt Seiya and Yaten's presence at his side. Seiya cocked an eyebrow at the taller young man.

"So?"

"So what?" Yaten groaned, smacking his own forehead in exasperation.

"So, what is with you getting all weird when that _bi shoujo _walked up?" Yaten asked. "I mean, it's not like you to go off in la-la land for no reason and then pretend you hadn't." Taiki shook his head, unflustered by his friends' comments.

"Like you said Yaten-chan, we're here to have fun and not discuss serious business," he said calmly.

Recognizing his own words, Yaten had nothing to say and blushed. Seiya grinned at his friend's embarrassment.

"See, Yaten-chan?" he said, patting the white-haired young man on the back. "Taiki-chan does know what he's talking about."

"Hey, Seiya-kun!" Mamoru called, coming over to the three. "Is the game still on? You suddenly took off when I was winning." Yaten noticed the flush that spread up Seiya's neck. He laughed.

"Smooth talk your way out of this, Seiya-chan," Yaten said as he began to walk off. There was silence.

"Thought so."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi yawned loudly as she peered down at her watch. 8:00. Today had been so tiring. First, all that excitement of being reunited with Mamo-chan and then going to that skating rink and meeting Bunny. Then there was that battle against Sailor Sapphire. Plus, seeing the Sailor Starlights again and going to the sports center. She needed a nice long nap.

"I'm going to go see what Chibiusa-chan and the others are doing," Usagi murmured, her voice so low that she was sure that neither Mamoru nor Seiya heard her. Taiki and Yaten were already gone.

Walking around the brightly lit sports arena, Usagi found herself wondering about Yomicha and the others. She had met so many people today, it wasn't even funny. Yeah, she needed a nap.

Yawning loudly, she stretched as she continued walking around in search of her friends. They had to be around here somewhere. She saw some blue up ahead. Mats, maybe? She needed a nice nap. Just the tiniest bit of winks.

Usagi was over delighted as she saw that the blue was in fact mats! She grinned happily as she stretched on the adamantine mats. Using her arm as a pillow, she was glad that those mats were in a dark corner. Nice and private…

Usagi was drifting in and out of sleep as she closed her eyes. She caught a glimpse at her clock. 8:45. Forty-five minutes had passed since she had last seen Mamoru. Odd, that they hadn't come looking for her yet.

She felt a presence at her side and, through blurred, sleep vision, saw a tall, medium-skinned figure standing over her. A smaller, pale girl was standing next to her. Through her disoriented hearing, she heard them speak to each other.

"What's she doing here?"

"Let her be," the taller one said, her voice too familiar. "She was the girl with the others earlier. She doesn't look like one with a spirit chalice anyway."

Too confused on why spirit chalice sounded familiar, Usagi drifted off to sleep. But that presence was still there.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Kei-chan!" Yomicha called. She saw the violet-haired girl leaning over a railing, her red eyes deep in thought. Selene was sitting next to her. Yomicha jogged slowly up to her, Megumi trailing her. Smiling, she leaned on the railing next to Kei. "You seem to be in deep thought. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Kei said, her voice barely above a whisper. Yomicha shook her head. Megumi looked up at them, sensing a serious discussion about to take place.

"Oh no," Yomicha said, shaking her finger in Kei's face. Grabbing Kei's shoulders and spinning her so that she could face her, Yomicha's expression went from light to serious. "Do not lie to me."

How can she always tell when I'm lying? Kei thought, staring at Yomicha's slate-colored eyes. _Baka, you idiot! Because she's been with you in previous upon previous lifetimes. That's not fair! She's lived for many millennia and knows how I feel and I'm restricted to my limited knowledge of them. I don't really even know them. Hell, I don't even know their birthdays!_

Kei thought, staring at Yomicha's slate-colored eyes. 

"Don't be so serious!" Megumi piped up. Her green eyes shone like emeralds. "You know how Sailor Venus says, 'all work and no play makes lousy Jack!'" She giggled at the obfuscated cliché. Kei rolled her eyes. Well, even if Megumi had lived for many millennia, she was, of course, only eight.

"How old are you Yomicha-chan?" Kei suddenly asked, looking at the silver-haired girl quizzically. "I mean, well, I mean…"

"You mean before I became Senshi De...I mean, Sailor Capricorn?" Yomicha supplied. She looked a bit downcast. "Nineteen. Once I became Sailor Capricorn, I didn't age anymore. So I look nineteen, but I'm actually…" She seemed to be thinking for a second.

"1,102 lifetimes?" Megumi provided, smiling. Yomicha nodded, returning the smile. "The longest one being a thousand and three years long?"

"That's accurate, I think," Yomicha said. Kei's mouth dropped. The senshi had been around that long? Yomicha gently tapped Kei on the hand. Her mouth snapped shut.

"Tell me about yourselves, then," Kei murmured as she heard the tinkling of a bell. Selene. "Tell me about previous revelations. What's your favorite food? How about your favorite color? Anything interesting happen in your past lives? Have any of the revelations ever failed? And what about the planet princess?" Megumi stared at Kei, wide-eyed.

"Kei-chan!" Selene snapped. She jumped up onto the railing that Kei and Yomicha were leaning on. "Don't be rude! If they had wanted to tell you those things, they would!" Yomicha shook her head sadly.

"No, it's all right," she said, her slate-blue eyes misty and dark. "She might as well know the real meaning and truth behind the 'sacrifice'." Turning to look at Kei, she continued, "You are ready to know, right?" Megumi noticed the sudden intense look on Kei's face and stared up at Yomicha. _She's actually going to do this_, Megumi thought.

"Yes, I think I am," Kei whispered. Selene shook her head. She was going to regret this part for the rest of her life.

"Well, where do I start off?" Yomicha asked. Kei's eyes shone.

"Tell me about the planet princess," she replied. "Their personalities, likes and dislikes, loves and losses. Confess their truth, Yomicha." Yomicha managed a small smile. At least this could postpone the truth a little ways.

"Princess Serenity, she was always a handful. Each time we were reborn, it proved to be more exciting. Although she's a crybaby, a klutz, and a ditz, she always seemed to have that regal air to cover it up. You had to love her, even if you thought you hated her. She could whine, that's for sure, but she has a huge heart. She doesn't care about what happened in your past, as long as you could be friends at that moment." Kei smiled. Sounded like that girl she had met a couple of days ago. What was her name? Usagi?

"And the others?" Kei replied.

"Well, then there's Prince Endymion. He was Princess Serenity's fiancé. He is kind-hearted and sweet, though I didn't get to meet him much. He lived on his own planet, like each of the planet princesses did. But when times of trouble came, the planet princesses would power up into the sailor senshi to protect the moon princess, Serenity. It was a beautiful serene time, each lifetime more exquisite than the last."

"What about the others?" Kei continued, her red eyes gleaming. "The planet princess?"

"Well, there's Princess Mercury. She's the genius of the planet princesses. She is a bit on the quiet side and rather kind and sweet. I was rather fond of her. She's the one you go to if you need help with a problem. She's always a bit depressed though."

"Then there's the princess of Mars," Megumi interrupted. "She is a psychic and can always predict the future and can always sense evil forces. She cares for Princess Serenity the most, although it doesn't seem so. She's a bit stubborn, but that's because she's an Aries. Figures, seeing about Sailor Aries, her counterpart." Kei's eyes shot up.

"Counterpart?"

"No, not now," Yomicha snapped. "I don't want to remember that yet. Not them. Anyway, I thought you wanted to know about the planet princesses." Kei sighed as she nodded. Yomicha smiled grimly.

"Next, there's Princess Jupiter," she continued, her voice shaking slightly. "She's very protective of Serenity and is a good fighter. She may appear to tough, but that's just an outward appearance. She is very sweet and kind." Megumi giggled.

"And she's a excellent cook!" she said sweetly. Yomicha laughed along with Kei. Leave it to Megumi to ease up the tension between the two older girls. "And of course, we can't forget Princess Venus. She's very beautiful, seeing that her planet is the planet of love and beauty. She is a good actor too, you can never tell whether she's acting or seriously solemn."

"Yeah, Princess Venus was the leader of the sailor team back then," Yomicha grinned. "And that should be it." Kei nodded. But, something was bothering her. She felt something tugging in the back of her mind.

"Wait!" Kei said, looking at Yomicha fiercely. "What about the outer soldiers? They were princesses back then too, right? Why'd you skip them?"

"Oh, the outer princesses," Megumi mumbled. Her infantile eyes became dark then. "I love Princess Pluto. She's my planet counterpart. She was quiet and melancholy, you know, because she was the guardian of time and all. She had been a bit soft-spoken, but Pluto was very kind." Casting a look at Yomicha, she whispered, "At least, to me she was."

Kei cast a look at Yomicha. Her slate-blue eyes were dark and brooding. "Yomicha-chan?"

"Nothing, nothing," Yomicha said with false cheerfulness in her voice. There was a sigh in there too. "It's just that Princess Pluto never liked me much. I…" Yomicha trailed off. "Anyway, there's also Princess Saturn. She's my planet counterpart. She is sweet, kind, and shy. You'd never guess that that small girl holds within her the power of destruction."

"And?"

"Then there's Princess Uranus," Megumi continued for Yomicha. "She's fast, ruthless, strong, and cold. At least, that's how she is now. She used to be completely different, a real flirt. She can be very sarcastic sometimes and only Serenity could bring out the sisterly, protective side of her."

"Then, last, but not least, is the princess of Neptune," Yomicha finished. "She is very loving, and the most elegant of all the senshi. I don't know much about her, although I do know that she hates me as much Uranus and Pluto do."

"Why do they hate you?" Kei asked. She looked over at Megumi. "Do they hate you too?" Megumi shook her head.

"No, just MichiMichi-chan," Megumi said, touching the older girl's arm gently. Kei felt sorry for Yomicha for a second. But, she still didn't know why those three hated her.

Deciding that the subject was too stressful, Kei turned back to the railing. Maybe she ought to let the subject drop. Casting a look at the two girls who were thousands of years older than her, Kei sighed.

For now, she'd keep quiet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Odango-atama__," a voice whispered. Usagi looked up in surprise and realized with absolute frustration that she was dreaming. Looking around, she saw that she was surrounded by fluffy pink clouds. She was wearing her princess dress from the Silver Millennium, wings sprouting from her back._

"Fool!" a voice yelled from the mist. Usagi spun around and saw two figures walk from the light. "You idiot! You are so selfish and spoiled." Usagi's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped when she saw the two figures were Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.

"Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Usagi cried in delight as she began moving toward them. Her blue eyes sparkled from tears. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Uranus scowled.

"Leave us alone, baka_," she growled. Her aqua eyes were a cold as steel. "It's better to be dead then to be in your presence." Usagi gasped and stopped in her tracks. What?_

baka

"She's right," Neptune agreed, her eyes harsh. "You left us to die. All you cared about was yourself. You never gave a thought about how we felt." Usagi was close to tears by then as each word hit her like a sledgehammer. Why were they saying such mean things to her?

There was movement behind her. Usagi spun around and saw Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn standing. "Saturn? Pluto?"

"Help us, princess," Saturn whispered, her huge violet eyes frightened. "Please." Pluto snickered at the response.

"She doesn't care about us," she stated, as a blood red vapor appeared around her. "She never did. We never really had a princess. It was all a lie. She could never be a good mother to Small Lady, never a good queen to her people, and never a good wife to Endymion-sama."

"She's right, Usagi," Saturn realized, her eyes turning icy. "She's right. You aren't worthy of anything or anyone. You only care about yourself. You've never helped your friends."

Uranus nodded. "You are spoiled, selfish, and a brat. You've always been shallow."

"You never cared," Neptune added.

"We hate you," they all whispered in unison. Usagi couldn't even say anything. Tears were running down her face. It wasn't true. She loved all of her friends. Spinning around, she faced Uranus.

"How could you say that?" she whispered. The soldier of the heaven's expression didn't even change. Walking right up to Usagi, she slapped her smartly across the face. Usagi's cheek stung from the force as she collapsed to the ground.

"Like that," Uranus sneered. The pink clouds slowly turned black as the evil began to take over. Usagi was shaking and tears were spilling down her face.

"I'm sorry Haruka-chan," she sobbed as the vision began to fade. The glare she had been receiving from the outers disappeared. "I'm so sorry…"

Usagi woke up with a jolt of shock. Sweat poured down her face. It took her a few moments to gather her bearings. She looked around her. She was in the dark corner of the sports center, on top of a hard blue mat. It was deathly quiet and, in alarm, the petite blonde looked at her watch. 11:00? How on earth did it get so late?

Climbing off the blue mat, she looked around nervously. The mats were in a secluded, built in corner. It had turned right off the main hallway. The view was blocked by other mats, piled taller than her. Usagi peeked out from behind the mats. The lights were still on…

"Hello?" Usagi called, her voice echoing back to her in eerie vibration. "_Minna_-chan? Anyone? Is anyone here?" There was no answer and Usagi briefly scolded herself for falling asleep.

A sports center is no place to take naps, she thought angrily as she began walking down the hall. I should have stayed with Mamo-chan, Seiya-chan or the others. Why did I have to go to sleep?

"Tsukino-san!" a voice yelled from a side hallway that led to the basketball court and track. A figure ran into the main hallway, looking a bit hassled. The crimson eyes met hers. Usagi wanted to gasp at those deep, timeless eyes, but couldn't. "Are you Tsukino-san? I don't remember."

"Y-y-yeah," Usagi agreed as the green-haired girl walked up to her. Cocking her head to the side, she frowned. "You're Zephyr, right? Are my friends looking for me?" Zephyr nodded.

"They are very anxious," she said, offering Usagi her arm. Usagi looked at Zephyr oddly.

"I was sleeping," Usagi explained, though her odd look was still there. "What time did they start looking for me?" Zephyr felt a bit strange as Usagi took her arm, resting her blonde head on her upper arm.

"About an hour ago," Zephyr said, a grim smile spreading across her face. "Um, they're in the basketball court. I need to go." Usagi had been smiling. Her smile disappeared.

"Why?" she asked, feeling that this girl should be with her. Her blue eyes grew innocent. "Stay with us for some ice cream or something. I'm sure Chibiusa-chan would like to meet you." Usagi wondered why she brought her future daughter into the conversation. Weird. Zephyr couldn't care less about that girl.

"Chibiusa…" Zephyr whispered, her voice distant. A memory flashed through her mind.

"HELLO!" a voice screamed from the front door. A verdant-haired young woman turned to the door as a tiny young girl bounded through the door.

"Hi, everyone! Hey, did you make some cupcakes? I smell cupcakes! Where is everyone? The door was unlocked. That was careless. Anyone can walk in and take your cupcakes." With that, the girl ran to the pan, grabbed a yellow frosted cupcake and ran back out the door, slamming it behind her.

Another girl walked into the room, her curly hair bouncing against her milky white face. "Who was slamming doors?" Then she noticed that one of her freshly made cupcakes was missing and laughed.

"A little too much sugar this morning."

"She's a growing girl. But, the sugar in her system can make her a bit too hyper."

"Zephyr-san," Usagi prodded gently. The garnet eyes flickered for a second. A smile crept onto the dark face.

"I'm all right," she whispered, letting go of Usagi's hand. She pulled away. "I'm fine. I just need to go." Usagi was a bit confused, but said good-bye anyway. Zephyr strode down the hall, towards the exit.

Usagi turned the other way and then realized something. "I forgot," she said, turning back to Zephyr. "Where's the…." Usagi looked around, but Zephyr was gone. "…basketball court?" Grumbling to herself, she walked down the opposite side of the hallway.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You had a flashback too?" Skylar asked incredulously. Her violet eyes were huge. The four crystal senshi had gathered behind the bleachers of the basketball court. "Man, I'm the only one who hasn't had one yet." Bunny clucked her tongue as Zephyr shrugged.

"It wasn't much of one," she assured, seeing the disappointment in the girl's face. "But when Tsukino-san said 'Chibiusa' it was like I should know something about her."

"So, we've received flashbacks when we were in the presence of _odango-atama_, Eternal Sailor Moon, and with each other," Bunny observed. She tugged a blonde pigtail a bit. Atlantica looked at her friend nervously. Her friend was obviously worried about something…

"Bunny, we have to ask that girl," Atlantica whispered. "For some reason, I trust her. Even if she is our enemy. I think we should ask her for something."

"What about asking Usagi-chan?" Zephyr asked slowly. Seeing the sour looks on her allies faces, she frowned. "Or not." Skylar pouted, her white cheeks turning pink.

"Since none of them have met me," she said, "I think I should ask."

"Oh, no you don't," Bunny quickly said, placing a hand on the short girl's shoulder. Her aqua eyes were sharp. "You're our trump card. Besides, you need to be kept safe because of your stored power. We can't all be anywhere near limited power. You haven't used your power yet, so it's still powerful."

"No fair," Skylar said, but she didn't have any good reasons to argue against Bunny.

Atlanica sighed. "It's late, we should leave." Zephyr laughed.

"Without searching this place first?" she said. Her russet eyes glowed a bit. "I don't think so." Then she was silent, while considering something. "Isn't it weird, how Usagi pops up every place we attack? She appeared at the ice arena and now here." Bunny was quiet too.

"You're right," she agreed, looking out towards the basketball court, where Usagi was emerging from an exit door. Her friends ran over to her, all yelling different things. "Something about her…every time anyone of us is around her, we get a flashback. Same thing when we're with Sailor Moon and each other. Weird."

"Agreed," Skylar said slowly. "So, we might have to arrange a little kidnapping. Get the girl, get our memories." Her violet eyes darkened. "And take her soul chalice while we're at it."


	11. Episode 229

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

* * *

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 229: Stars of crisis! A game of kidnapping Usagi

* * *

"Ouch," Usagi groaned, rolling out of bed. She felt a pain shooting from the nape of her neck. She looked over to see the cause of this problem.

"Wake up, Usagi-chan," Luna demanded. Her red eyes were sharp. "It's time that you get up and get dressed. You have a senshi meeting with the others." Usagi groaned as she pulled the sheets and pillow over her head.

"Not now!" she mumbled, her voice muffled from the pillow. "I'm tired." Luna sighed. One excuse was as good as any. Carefully, she sat on the lump of the pillow.

"Get up, right now," Luna hissed. "You are not to spend an entire day in bed." It was nearly a week after the girls had met up with the Three Lights. Okay, so maybe they weren't the Three Lights anymore, but it was close enough to sum up those three.

Luna tried a new way to get the _odango-atama _out of bed. "Didn't you promise them that you'd go on a picnic for the senshi meeting since Rei's grandfather is holding judo practice at the Hikawa Jinja?"

Usagi sighed heavily. Food wasn't really on her mind lately. Every time she thought about something she liked, it reminded her, somehow, of that day when she had met Zephyr and Bunny. She sighed again. Why did she always remember them? It's not like she knew them well.

Or maybe she did.

"Are you getting up or not?"

Usagi groaned and rolled out of bed, pulling most of her covers with her. But her legs were so tangled up in the sheets, she lost her grip and feel smack on her face.

"Owwwww!" Usagi hollered, holding her face. She immediately burst out into tears. "That huuuurt!" Luna sighed as she began to walk out the room. She shook her head slowly. When would that girl ever learn?

"Usagi-chan?" Chibiusa called, peeking into the room. She sighed in disgust at the sight of her future mother bawling like a baby. She held a phone in her hand. "Stop crying, _baka_. Someone's on the telephone for you." Usagi took a deep breath and reached for the phone.

"Who is it?" Usagi said, her voice still choked through tears. Chibiusa pulled the phone back and put it up to her ear.

"May I ask who's calling?" she said politely. Usagi rolled her eyes. Why didn't Chibiusa act polite to her? There was a moment of silence. Chibiusa put her hand over the bottom part of the phone.

"Someone named Bunny," she said. Usagi's blue eyes lit up. How did Bunny find out where she lived?

"She says it's urgent. Something about meeting you again."

Usagi grabbed the phone away from Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl scowled before stomping out of the room. Usagi looked at her for a second. Sighing, she put the telephone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hi," a deep voice responded. "Is this Tsukino-san?" Usagi giggled at the formality of the name.

"Please, call me Usagi," she said with a grin.

"Okay," Bunny hurried on. "Um, do you think you could me and some of my friends today? I'd like them to meet you." Usagi smiled. She liked meeting new people. But, then there was that picnic meeting with the others today.

"Usagi-chan?"

"Actually, I had other plans for today," Usagi said slowly. She didn't want to say no. "But, maybe you could come with us? We're going on a picnic! You'd like it." There was silence.

"Well, I don't know," Bunny responded. She sounded disappointed. "But, I'd really like you to meet them. Still, I won't stop you from other plans." Usagi was frustrated. Couldn't she skip the meeting just this once today? She wouldn't really miss anything…but, the others would be upset with her if she didn't come. After all, she was the sailor leader.

"Hmmm, I'll see if I can meet you," Usagi replied. "I'll have to pull some strings, but I think I can make it."

"Excellent!" Bunny cheered. Usagi smiled. "We're meeting by the new fountain in the park. You know where it is?" Usagi cheered.

"Yeah, that's where we're meeting for the picnic!" she said cheerfully. "I'll be able to introduce you to everyone. I'll meet you around 12:00, okay?" Bunny was silent for a second, considering the offer.

"Sure, why not?" she agreed. "I'll see you then."

"How come you're so mysterious, Bunny-chan?" Usagi suddenly asked.

There was only one thing to say. "That's our way." The line cut off, leaving a dazed Usagi on the other end. That's their way? Only one person ever used to say that. But…

That scent of wind and the regal air of a princess, Usagi thought to herself. _That sarcastic attitude…I'm imagining things. I'm definitely imagining things. I just need some food in my stomach. Then everything will be the same._

, Usagi thought to herself. 

"Usagi-chan, are you done with the phone?" Chibiusa asked, poking her head into the room. "We're leaving in an hour." Usagi nodded.

"Tell Mamo-chan that we might have some extra people coming with us," she said, going to her closet and pulling out some clothes. "Bunny wanted to meet me for something. She's coming to the picnic."

"Okay," Chibiusa said slowly. She looked confused. Something was wrong. Usagi was too calm. Then, a smile spread across her face. "I'm going over Mamo-chan's apartment early. To spend some time with him." Usagi just nodded.

"Okay, have fun," she said, her voice in a daze. A confused Chibiusa walked out of the room, wondering about Usagi's reaction.

Usagi slipped her clothes on, humming a familiar song to herself. Then, the realization of Chibiusa's words hit her. Her blue eyes flared up. "Oh, no! She…CHIBIUSA!" With that, she ran like a mad cat out of the room.

Luna shook her head. "I don't believe her."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, wake up Kei-chan," Yomicha murmured into the sleeping girl's ear. Kei groggily pulled the pillow over her head. Yomicha giggled as she grabbed the pillow.

"You can't sleep now," Yomicha whispered. She gently touched one of Kei's purple curls. Her lips were close to Kei's cheek. "Wake up Kei-chan." Kei's eyes fluttered open as she looked up at Yomicha.

"Yomicha-chan," she breathed. Yomicha didn't say anything. Sleep always made Kei look beautiful. Her eyes sparkled with new realization and her hair didn't even looked touched by her rough sleeping. "I had a weird dream last night. You were in it."

Yomicha froze. "What was it about?"

"I feel uncomfortable telling you about it," Kei whispered, sitting up. She rested her back against the backboard of her bed. She looked over at Selene, who was perched on the windowsill. "Can you leave us alone now, Selene?" Selene looked up, her purple eyes sleepy.

"Why not?" she murmured, jumping from the windowsill. "I'll go wake Megumi-chan up." Yomicha shook her head.

"She's already up," she said. Selene nodded and then left. Yomicha turned back toward Kei and sat down on the edge of the bed. Kei stared at her.

"It was a weird dream," Kei whispered, breathing fast all of a sudden. "We were in this kingdom. I could see Earth from there. It was so beautiful. It looked like a blue marble."

"And?"

"Well, I was on this balcony with you," Kei continued. "You know. The original you, without the short hair. The balcony was looking out toward a garden. Some princesses were out on the flowers, talking and laughing. I think they were the planet princesses." Yomicha took a deep breath.

"Keep going."

"Well, the _odango-atama_ princess came up to us and told us that the 'sacrifice' was coming. You told her that we knew and then we left. But, a boyish looking princess came running up to us and told us that the 'sacrifice' was getting closer and closer and that we shouldn't pass it off. She was giving you the evil eye."

"At the moment, I don't see anything wrong with this dream," Yomicha interrupted. She looked at Kei quizzically. "Where does this dream get interesting?"

"Soon," Kei mumbled. Her red eyes were troubled. "Anyway, you took me to this large room. It was white and the floor was a pretty marble with gray swirls. You turned around and locked the door. There was a large, canopied bed. The drapes around it were whitish gold, allowing privacy. When you turned around, you weren't you anymore. You were a guy."

"I still don't get where this dream is going," Yomicha muttered, upset that Kei's dream referred her to a guy.

"It gets more passionate," Kei whispered. Her red eyes became hazy. "You led me over to the bed and told me that you…well, loved me." Both girls were now blushing a bright pink. "Then you started talking about the sacrifice. Except that I wasn't as scared about it as you were. It was weird. Then, suddenly, the guy you turned around and…um…kissed me." Kei was blushing a wild pink now.

"Where?"

"On the lips."

"Oh."

"At least, it ended on the lips. Before that, you were kissing my neck and cheek and forehead."

"Oh," Yomicha gasped, feeling very faint. Her face was as white as snow. "What happened after…that?"

"I don't remember," Kei whispered. "All I do remember is what happened during that period. I think I was too shocked to remember what happened afterwards. I just remember the lust of it all. And the passion. I didn't want it to end. But I don't get it. What does that dream mean?"

"I might as well tell you because you'd find out sooner or later," Yomicha muttered. "You won't understand, but it will explain why you had that dream. See, during the past few lifetimes, we were…well…together."

"Isn't that, you know…"

"No, it was different. Each of the zodiac senshi has the power to change their gender. That power was given to us after we separated from the planet senshi. But, I began to love you because you were different from anyone else I had ever met. Sweet, yet full of so much independent energy, it hurt. It meant even more to me that you cared for both me and Scorpio, seeing how we..." Yomicha trailed off and turned her slate gray eyes to the floor.

"What is it?"

"All the sailor senshi are good and all the zodiac senshi are evil," Yomicha explained. "There's a reason for that, but not one I'm proud of or would like to discuss." Kei stared at the silver-haired girl before taking a deep breath. She'd let that topic slide, but as for the other one...

"So, I loved you back?"

"Yes," Yomicha said. "That dream you had wasn't a premonition, it was a real memory." Kei's face drained from color.

"You mean…you and I actually…" she stammered. "But, I didn't tell you the entire dream! How could you possibly know what was going on?"

"Because I remember...everything."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I am so bored," Cancer groaned, tugging her rose curls. She sighed, looking over at a golden-clad Libra. "Why do the new senshi get to have all the fun?"

"Because you didn't shut your trap about wanting to go somewhere," Pisces grumbled. She was resting her head on Aquarius' shoulder. "If you would've just shut up, we could have gone somewhere."

The seven zodiac senshi were in the dark courtyard of the floating ship. They were all talking about the new crystal senshi, especially after they were doing most of the work.

Virgo sighed. For once, she wasn't chewing any bubble gum. She was just as aggravated as the rest of her fellow zodiac senshi. "I have to agree with Cancer. We've been locked up in this floating palace ever since those four came along."

"And I've had bad vibes ever since then," Aries added. She suddenly jumped up, her purple braids bouncing. "There is something about them I don't trust." Sagittarius nodded as Aquarius looked at the two cynically.

"Do you have any proof that these guys might turn traitor?" she asked, her emerald eyes flashing. "For all you know, those vibes must be from all that wasted energy they've been putting off looking for that taboo talisman."

"No," Aries stated shortly. "Sagittarius and I were spying on Atlantica and Bunny the other day." Aquarius grunted in response. Aries gave her a cold look and continued. "It turns out you were wrong, Aquarius. Those sailor senshi have already recalled some memories of their past and they're not dead yet. Bunny was saying that is things got worse, they were going to ask Sailor Moon for her help."

"And, they must have had a flashback there too," Sagittarius continued. "Because they suddenly became very quiet and their eyes went kind of blank. Next thing we knew, they were in a shock mode. Seems like they only get flashbacks when they're around each other or around Miss Moon."

"Oh really?" Libra asked, tossing her two pale blonde braids over her shoulder. She looked doubtful. "And if they do ask Sailor Moon? What happens then?"

"I don't know," Cancer suddenly spoke up. All eyes turned to the smallest of the group. "But only one question bothers me. Why on earth, of all people, would they ask Sailor Moon? I know that that silver crystal of hers is rather formidable, but that still doesn't explain it."

"They are going to ask Sailor Moon because the figure in the mirror told her to ask Serenity and that of course is Sailor Moon," Aries explained. Seeing the confused looks on her allies' faces, she sighed. "I don't know how it happened, but when Bunny touched that mirror that leads to the other world, another image appeared in the mirror. But the reflection wasn't hers. The sailor _fuku_ and hairstyle was different. But that's it. The figure told her that she was her past and memories. Before disappearing, she said to ask Serenity for help."

"Oh, that's just great," Pisces mumbled. "As if we don't have enough to do. Now we have to watch out for those four, look for the taboo talisman and not let the princess find about all of this. Then we can't forget that those brats are still looking for the taboo talisman."

"Oh, we don't have to worry about them," Aquarius said with a laugh in her voice. "It seems like their powers aren't working. So we really only have to worry about Capricorn and Scorpio plus Sailor Midnight."

"Don't forget about the Sailor Starlights," Libra added. "They're friends with the planetary senshi, remember?" The others nodded. "Anyway it goes, no powers or not, they outnumber us fourteen to eight."

"Forget about it!" Cancer spoke up, jumping to her feet. "If we're the planetary soldiers' zodiac counterparts, then our counterparts are about as powerful as we are. If we can find Sailor Moon's counterpart, then we've got it made!"

"But what about Capricorn and Scorpio?" Aries asked. "We can't very well forget that they've known us about as long as they've know the planetary senshi. All they have to do is tell them what's going on." Cancer stared at the taller girl.

"Well, what if they were back on our side?" she asked, her blue eyes thoughtful. "They couldn't very well do any harm then. And without them, Sailor Midnight is pretty much powerless." The other senshi turned and stared at the girl in shock.

"Sailor Cancer, sometimes you amaze me," Virgo said. Her pale blue eyes smarted then. "But exactly how do we get them back on this side again?" Sagittarius shook her head, causing her pale green hair to twirl.

"There's no way," she said. "Capricorn and Scorpio are on their side for good. They told us millennia ago that they would never join us unless we returned back to our original forms, whatever that meant. They said even if they did share zodiac names, they were not part of our group."

"I'd like to thank them personally then," Aquarius hissed, standing up. Her green eyes were cold. "Until then, a strategy plan might be necessary in order to get that talisman. We should split up into groups."

"Yeah, okay," Virgo agreed. She was acting serious for once. "Okay, Aries, Sagittarius, and I will do a bit of research on the planetary senshi and see how formidable they really are. Cancer and Libra, back us up. And Aquarius and Pisces, keep an eye out for the crystal senshi, okay?"

"Sure!" came six enthusiastic responses. In seven flashes of light, the room was suddenly dark and empty again.

Then, there was a pink flash of light and Sailor Cancer reappeared in the room. Looking around cautiously, she picked up a small mirror locket off the ground. Placing it across her neck, her blue eyes glowed.

"So we meet again...Princess."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hi, minna-chan!" Usagi yelled, running across the thick emerald grass of the park. She was grinning wildly. "Hey, everyone!"

The others were already at the park. Chibiusa and Mamoru were checking the two huge picnic baskets. Seiya and Minako were playing volleyball against Mako and Taiki. Yaten was keeping score while Ami was cheering them on with Rei and Hogoshi.

"You are so incredibly late Usagi-chan," Rei retorted, but she was smiling too. The blonde _odango-atama_ ran up to her boyfriend and wrapped him in a hug.

"Sorry I'm late! Usagi said, her blue eyes glittering. "I saw these really cute stuffed bunnies on sale. Two for one _yen_!" With that, she opened up her backpack. It was full of small stuffed rabbits. Her friends stared wide-eyed at the bag.

"Um, Usagi-chan?" Seiya asked, his brown eyes growing large. "Exactly how many bunnies did you get?"

"I dunno!" Usagi said cheerfully, dumping the contents out on a large picnic blanket. At least thirty bunnies spilled out. Her friends stared at Usagi in astonishment.

"Well, that's a lot of stuffed bunnies," Mamoru announced with a sigh in his voice. "Maybe a bit too many."

"That's why I'm giving them away!" Usagi replied, plopping down carelessly on the blanket. "I decided that there's better giving then there is in receiving. Besides, I already have enough stuffed animals in my room." Then she turned back towards her backpack that was still bulging with something. She reached her arms in and pulled out a huge pink bunny with a carrot in its paws. "This is for Chibiusa-chan."

Chibiusa's jaw dropped as Usagi handed her the huge bunny. She gently held it and grinned. "Thanks Usagi-chan. But what's up with my gift? You're not going to take it back or something, are you?"

"Nope, I just felt like doing something nice," Usagi said with a smile. She looked over at her other friends and then pointed to the pile of bunnies. "You can take whatever ones you want."

The girls immediately bent down and started examining the pile, but the guys stood back a bit. Usagi smiled.

"I know the guys of the group wouldn't really be interested in bunnies, so I bought something else for you," she said, looking back toward her backpack. She reached inside and brought out for small boxes. "I know the girls and I already have these, but I felt as though you guys needed some too." She popped the tops off the boxes and handed them to the young men.

Seiya smiled. "These are so pretty. Where'd you get them from?" Usagi smiled.

"I called Kei-chan the other day," she said. "And because I was so eager, she let me have them for free."

The rings in the boxes glittered brightly. The gem on Seiya's ring was red, the one on Taiki's was blue and the gem on Yaten's ring was green. Mamoru's gem ring shone a bright gold.

"Thanks very much Usa-ko," he whispered, kissing her on the cheek. Usagi blushed happily. Looking at her watch, her smile disappeared.

"Oh, no, I'm late," she groaned. Rei grinned.

"What else is new?" Usagi looked at the others, her eyes still glowing a bit. Then she looked back at the remaining bunnies.

"You guys each have a gift?" she asked. Her friends all nodded in response. "Okay." She gathered up the remaining rabbits and stuffed them in her backpack. "I have to go. I'll get back as soon as possible though." Mamoru cocked an eyebrow.

"Where are you going, Usa-ko?" he asked. "You just got here." Usagi smiled as she stood up.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," she said. For some reason, she felt that she couldn't tell the others where she was going. "I'll be back before you know it." Hogoshi stood up.

"I'll walk you wherever you have to go," she offered. Usagi shook her head, beginning to walk away.

"No, I have to go by myself," Usagi said, tugging a blonde pigtail nervously. Then she broke out in a run. "I'll be back soon!" Hogoshi shook her head. Innocent and giggly as always.

"Hey!" Mako piped up. "Isn't anybody curious on where she's going?" Rei nodded, but Ami shook her head.

"If you're planning on spying on her," she said matter-of-factly, "count me out. It's her own business." Chibiusa sighed.

"Well, I wanna see where she's going," she muttered, holding the pink bunny close to her. "She wouldn't just run off like that for no reason." Mako and Rei nodded.

"Okay, we're going to go see what she's up to," Rei said, tugging Mako and Chibiusa's arms. "Once we see, we'll be right back and report." Seiya chuckled.

"You guys haven't changed one bit since we've been gone," he said, shaking his head. "Always on Usagi's case if she's acting weird." Yaten and Taiki nodded in agreement. Rei just put her hands on her hips.

"Well, she's our princess and we're going after her," she said, turning her back. Making a motion with her hands, she began to jog off. "Come on Chibiusa-chan and Mako-chan. Let's see what that girl is up to." With that, the three girls ran off.

Seiya shook his head and groaned. Then something bounced against his head. He turned around, rubbing the back of his head. Minako stood behind him, holding the beach ball under her arm.

"We still have a game to play!" she announced. Seiya stared at her.

"But we're short one player," he reminded her. Hogoshi shook her head as she grabbed the ball from Minako and pounded it into the air. She grinned as it landed easily back in her hands.

"I'll play," she said with a wicked grin on her face. "I'll make sure to give you an evenly matched game." Yaten sighed.

"You guys are so crazy," he groaned as he walked back over to the volleyball net. He looked over at the fountain near by. "Zero to zero and if anyone hits me with the ball again, it'll just be zero."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi looked around, sitting down on the bench that surrounded the fountain. She knew she was late, so where were Bunny and her friends?

Sighing, she swung her legs back and forth, feeling the cold spray of water against the back of her neck. She hated waiting. She wasn't very patient.

Suddenly, two hands covered her eyes. Usagi shrieked in surprise. She took two deep breaths and smiled. "Who is it?"

"Guess."

"I give up."

"Hmmph, you didn't even try," the voice sounded disappointed. They removed their hands away from Usagi's eyes. With that, she spun around.

"Hi, Bunny!" she said. "How are you? What took you so long? Am I late? Where are the others?" Bunny forced a smile.

"Hi yourself, Usagi-chan," she said. She looked away, her long sandy blonde pigtails swaying dizzily. "I'm fine and I'm not late. You weren't here at this fountain, so I supposed you were at some other fountain in the park. So I was looking for you because you were late. And the others…"

"Hello, Usagi-san," a musical voice said from behind her. Usagi turned. A beautiful, aqua-haired young woman stood. Her curly hair was held up in a loose bun. An emerald hung on a black band around her neck. "My name is Disho Atlantica. How are you today?"

Before she could answer, a shorter, raven-haired girl walked up. He hair was held in two braided _odango_s. A topaz hung around her neck loosely. "I'm Hikai Skylar. Nice to meet you, Tsukino Usagi."

"I've told them about you already," Bunny said slowly. Her aqua eyes were dark for a second. "I think you've met Zephyr already." Usagi's eyes lit up. Zephyr?

The tall, green-haired girl walked up. "Hello, Usagi-chan. We meet again."

"Hi, nice to meet all of you!" Usagi said cheerfully. Her blue eyes gleamed. "Would you like to meet some of my friends?" Atlantica looked at Bunny in alarm. What was she going to say?

"Sure," Bunny said coolly. She took Usagi's hand. The aqua eyes were dark. "But, I'd like you to come with us for awhile before you go back." Usagi was quiet for a second. Hadn't she promised to be right back?

"I had promised to get right back," Usagi said slowly. "I don't want them to get too worried." Skylar shook her head.

"Oh, don't worry," she said, smiling a bit. "Zephyr and I will tell them that you came with us for a little while. It won't be for long."

Usagi's eyes lit up. "You would? Oh, thank you! You guys are great!" Usagi noticed the confused look in all their eyes. But the look was suddenly followed by a bit of realization.

"You're…you're welcome," Skylar said slowly. Usagi nodded as she stood up. She smiled sweetly.

"Okay, come on!" she said enthusiastically. She grabbed Bunny and Atlantica by the arm. "You guys are sweet to think like that!" Atlantica blushed while Bunny groaned.

Zephyr and Skylar looked at the retreating figures. Zephyr turned away, her crimson eyes darker than ever. "That girl…we can't take her spirit chalice."

"What are you talking about?" Skylar demanded. Her violet eyes flashed. "She may be the very one that holds the talisman. You can't back out of it now." Zephyr sighed, wiping a green wisp of hair from her eyes. She looked troubled.

"I know, but…" she trailed off. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Skylar. "It feels as though we'd be betraying her some way. We haven't been friends that long and I'm sure even now, we're not considered friends."

"That's what's wrong with love," Skylar snapped. "It's overrated. It makes up rules that don't need to be in existence. It twists you down and confuses you. That's why we need to find the talisman. If the revelation can't be completed, the sailor senshi will get mad at something and they'll blow up the world or something. Then, that kind of love won't exist anymore. No kind of love will exist anymore. And it will start by getting rid of Miss Usagi."

Zephyr nodded. "I guess you're right. Come on, let's get out of here." In a flash of red and yellow light, Zephyr and Skylar disappeared.

In the darkness, out of sight, three figures stared in gaping horror. The smallest one, a pink-haired girl, shook.

"I don't believe it!" she whispered. "They're using Usagi-chan! That's terrible. Why didn't she tell us where she was going? _Baka_!"

"If they harm one hair on her head, I will turn them into dust!" Mako growled. Her green eyes were flaring. "How dare they use their 'friendship' with Usagi-chan in such a terrible way!" Rei nodded.

"I could have sworn I felt bad vibes surrounding those four," she whispered. "Now I know I'm sure." Chibiusa held her locket firmly in her hand.

"We have to go after them!" she shouted. "We can't let them hurt Usagi!" Rei and Mako nodded.

The three stood up, pulling out their transformation items. Chibiusa's red eyes were blazing. _I won't let them hurt you, mama. No one treats you like this and gets away with it._

"Moon crisis power, make UP!"

"Jupiter crystal power, make UP!"

"Mars crystal power, make UP!"

In three flashes of swirling light, three sailor-suited fighters appeared. Sailor Mars took a deep breath.

"If there's a fight, we know our powers won't work," she said, looking at her two friends and allies. She turned to Chibi Moon. "Chibi Moon, go back to the picnic area and tell the others what's happening. Get Ami-chan to track them down on her computer. Jupiter, you come with me. We'll start looking for Usagi and those two…" Not able to think of a word that would best describe Bunny and Atlantica, she just hissed beneath her breath and said, "Just go and get them. Use the communicator to track us down. Try to get in touch with Usagi if you can."

"Okay!" Chibi Moon said energetically and ran off in the opposite direction. Jupiter and Mars looked at each other.

"Ready?" Mars asked.

"They're going to pay."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi sat in the backseat, looking at the passing buildings. She couldn't help but wonder where Bunny and Atlantica were taking her. But, she was safe. There was no need to worry.

"Usagi-chan," Atlantica suddenly said. Her eyes were a bit hazy. "What do you think about sacrifice?" Usagi's eyes widened. What did that have to do with anything?

"I don't think it's necessary," Usagi whispered. "Why should people sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world? Couldn't there be another way to solve things?"

Bunny looked up from the driver's seat. "Everyone is living in this world by sacrificing something, and everyone is stepping on somebody." Her aqua eyes were dark. "So why do you say sacrifice isn't necessary? There's no other way for people to live without sacrifice. If no one had to sacrifice anything, then this world would be a world of the dead."

Usagi was silent for a second, thinking back to the outer senshi. They had sacrificed themselves in order for Usagi and the others to live. But, why was it really necessary? The aftermath of the tragedy still hurt.

Usagi took a deep breath. "It might be okay for the people who are stepping on others. But what about those who are getting stepped on? Don't you have to think about those who are being sacrificed? I can't watch others being unhappy, even if I'm saved. Even if I can't do it myself, if people work together, there must be a way to do things without sacrificing anybody."

There was a long silence. Bunny was quiet and looked lost in her thoughts. Atlantica was quiet as well. Usagi began to think that maybe she had said something to upset them.

Usagi looked up again, ready to argue. "I've lost four close friends due to sacrifice. Would it really depend if you were being helped or were the helper?" Bunny was quiet as a tunnel came into view up ahead. The greenish-white lights inside took over the familiar sunlight of twilight. Usagi just sighed heavily and looked at the two drivers as darkness reigned between the spaces of the lights.

Usagi knew the convertible top was down and could occasionally feel the soft strokes of Bunny's long sandy blonde hair brush against her cheeks. But for a moment, in the darkness, she felt nothing and looked up again as the greenish-white light appeared. She glanced up at the two people in the front seats.

And rubbed her eyes.

Bunny and Atlantica weren't sitting there anymore. Two other, very familiar people were though. Usagi's jaw dropped as her mouth became dry. It couldn't be. The driver looked back at Usagi through the rearview mirror.

"Usagi-chan, sometimes sacrifice is necessary to keep those you love alive. It's more important for them to live then you," she said. The passenger smiled as she looked back at Usagi.

"What would you do for another person who cared for you so much that they were willing to sacrifice themselves for you?" she asked, her wavy green hair blowing from the vivacity of the wind. The golden tiara on her forehead shimmered from the greenish-white light. Usagi was still dumbfounded as she stared at them.

It was Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.

Usagi looked at the two senshi in absolute horror. "Haruka-san…and Michiru-san…?" The car suddenly emerged from the tunnel, the light blinding Usagi for a second. She opened her eyes after blinking a couple of times.

Atlantica looked back at the petite girl. "Usagi-chan, you're such a sweet girl." Bunny didn't say anything, she just looked at Usagi in the rearview mirror and smiled a bit.

"I guess you're right," she said, seemingly bemused. Her attention became focused again. "I don't know if I can think exactly the way you do. It's something we'll never be able to agree on. I think people should be sacrificed and you think that there should be another way. You're very kind." Usagi blushed.

"I know what it's like, to lose somebody because of sacrifice," she whispered. "Maybe one day, it won't be necessary anymore. Until then, I plan to make each day worth living and make sure that no one around me is so unhappy. Wouldn't it be better that way?"

Atlantica smiled. "Yes, I guess it would." Usagi suddenly knew that the conversation was over. There was nothing she could say or do to change their minds.

Didn't…didn't I have this exact same conversation with Haruka and Michiru two years ago? Usagi thought to herself.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking at the familiar buildings. Bunny smiled.

"Tokyo Tower." Usagi's eyes widened in realization. _This is a really serious case of déjà vu! That's exactly where Haruka and Michiru had taken me when we were having this conversation! Wow, those two think exactly like them. Weird._

"I thought the tower was closed today," Usagi replied, cocking her head to the side. "How are we going to go there if it's closed?" Atlantica grinned.

"Don't ask so many questions," she said. She laid her head against the seat. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride. You never know when it could be your last one." Usagi stared at the aqua-haired girl. You never know…

"Okay," Usagi said slowly. "I hope this doesn't take too long. My friends might start to worry."

"Oh, you don't have to be vexed about that," Bunny said darkly. "Everything is taken care of."

Usagi didn't say anything. She just rested her head on the headrest of the car and looked anxiously out the window. Things were starting to bother her now.

Sighing, she looked out the window. She hoped it wouldn't take much longer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They did what?" Hogoshi yelled. "I do not believe this! How dare they treat Usagi like that!" She was pacing back and forth, her arms crossed and her green eyes blazing like a newly born fire. "We are going after them."

Chibi Moon had just reached the picnic area and told the others, as quickly as possible, what had happened to Usagi.

"What are we going to do?" Yaten asked. "None of your powers work and we can't very well go after them single-handedly. They've got us caught pretty good."

"Well, even if Usa-ko transforms into Sailor Moon, she won't be able to fight back," Mamoru noted, his voice filled with worry. "Why is she so trusting? The enemies must know she's innocent and went after her first. They must not hurt her."

"How do we know they're really enemies?" Taiki suddenly said. All eyes turned to the brown-haired young man. "Whether they're good or bad, we know that everyone is looking for the same thing. They may just be the people in between. Not on the good side, but not on the bad side either."

"Like how Uranus and Neptune were when we fought against the Death Busters," Minako realized. "They weren't on our side and they weren't on the bad guys sides either. They were on their own side."

"Great, so we have a three way battle going on here," Seiya muttered. Ami shook her head.

"Four way," she said. "Remember those three mysterious senshi who showed up in our first battle?" The group looked at each other and groaned.

"Well, it's no use sitting here and pondering the 'what ifs'," Hogoshi spoke up. "They have Usagi and our first priority is to get her out, safe and sound."

"Right!" came eight enthusiastic responses. Each person brought out their own transformation devices. "Let's go."

Checking around to make sure no one was watching and seeing that there was no one watching, they raised the items in the air.

"Mercury crystal power…"

"Venus crystal power…"

"Destiny cosmos power…"

"Fighter star power…"

"Maker star power…"

"Healer star power…"

"…make UP!" The scene was ablaze with the lights of the transforming sailors. Their regular clothing disappeared, only to be replaced by their familiar sailor fukus. The lights died down and the sailor senshi could be seen, each in their respective poses.

"Can you track them down Sailor Mercury?" Chibi Moon asked. Her red eyes were full of worry. She hoped Usagi was all right.

"It'll take a second," Mercury whispered, her visor on. She was typing furiously into her mini computer. Her eyes were deep in thought as she overheard the constant beeping of her computer. "I found them!"

"Really?" Fighter asked, peering over Mercury's shoulder. She raised a delicate eyebrow. Mercury nodded and she touched the earring on her left ear. The visor disappeared.

"Right there," she said, pointing to the screen. On the screen was an enlarged map of Tokyo. A blinking dot was moving across it. The coordinates and other information was posted in all corners of the screen. "That blinking dot is them. From here, it looks like they're headed to Tokyo Tower." She closed the mini computer. "That's all I can tell."

"Okay," Healer nodded. She turned to Chibi Moon. "Anything else Mars and Jupiter told you to do?" Chibi Moon nodded.

"They said contact Usagi-chan if you can and contact them when you know where they're going," she said. Venus already had her communicator in her hand. She looked over at the others.

"Who should we contact first?" she asked. Tuxedo Kamen went over to her.

"Usa-ko," he stated simply. Venus nodded and the small screen on the communicator flickered. Usagi's face showed up on the screen a few seconds afterwards. All the senshi sighed with relief at the sign of the smiling face.

"Hi, _minna_-chan!" Usagi said cheerfully. She looked up from the communicator. "What's up? Is the picnic over? You guys leave me any food?"

Venus sighed. "We have more important matters than that. Why'd you go with Bunny-san and Atlantica-san? You barely even know them!" Usagi seemed confused.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You said you'd be right back!" Destiny exclaimed, her face cross. She looked at Usagi through Venus' communicator. "You have no idea what those four are up to!" Usagi grinned.

"You guys are overreacting," she said. "We just stopped at a music store so Atlantica could pick up some music sheets. Bunny-san went in with her. After that, we're going over to Tokyo Tower. I'm just worried that we won't be able to get in."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. You're not going." It was the first time Fighter had spoken up since Usagi popped up on the screen. "Those two people you're with do not want your friendship. They are after your spirit chalice. We're coming after you."

"No!" Usagi said, her blue eyes angry. "I can't believe you guys! They're not evil! You're making assumptions. Just because you don't know them. I am going with them."

"Usa-ko, we don't want to fight them either," Tuxedo Kamen suddenly said. His blue eyes were understanding. "But we don't want you to get hurt." Usagi turned away.

"Mamo-chan, I don't care what anybody says!" she announced. She turned back to them. "They are not evil. I am going. Good-bye." The screen flickered off.

"No!" Destiny screeched. Her green eyes were boiling as she looked at the communicator. She turned away in absolute frustration. "We have to go after her now." Mercury nodded.

"I just got in touch with Mars and Jupiter," she said solemnly. "They're heading straight for Tokyo Tower. We should catch up with them too. Any luck with Usagi-chan?"

"She didn't listen," Destiny mumbled darkly. "Why does she think she can save the world all by herself?" The others shrugged.

"Dunno, but we have to save Usagi!" Chibi Moon reminded them. The soldiers all nodded in agreement and broke out into a run. Those four had better watch out. If they harm Usagi in the tiniest way, they would definitely pay the consequences.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Cool," Usagi whispered, staring up at the building. "This isn't Tokyo Tower. It couldn't be." She was staring up at a huge crystal like building, standing in the place Tokyo Tower was supposed to be. It was reflecting the sun and the blue sky, casting rainbow images all over the ground.

"Of course this isn't Tokyo Tower, silly," Atlantica said. She smiled. "This is the Starlight Tower. It only exists in your imagination." Usagi looked back at the couple.

"I've heard of the Starlight Tower," Usagi said slowly, sticking out her tongue. "It was just built six months ago. Why'd you say you were taking me Tokyo Tower?"

"Oh, we must have been mistaken," Bunny said. "Remember, Tokyo Tower is closed for repair maintenance. You said so yourself. So we came here instead."

"It looks scary," Usagi blurted out. She covered her mouth. The tower did indeed look scary. Beneath the glittering sunlight and reflective rainbows, the tower gave off creepy negative vibes.

"Let's go inside," Atlantica said, walking to the front door. She opened it slowly. She grinned at Usagi. The darkness emitting from the door was almost more than Usagi could handle. She took a step backwards.

"Come on now, Usagi-chan," Bunny said from behind her. She pushed her forward. Usagi groaned.

"I'm not going in there," she whined loudly. She looked back at Bunny, who was smiling. "It's way too dark. How come there aren't any lights?" Bunny shook her head.

"Oh, don't be so scared!" she said, pushing her forward still. Atlantica rolled her eyes.

"Go on, we didn't bring you here for nothing," she reminded her. Usagi swallowed. Something wasn't right…

"I've decided I want to go back," she said, shaking a bit. "I just don't feel right about going in there." _Maybe I should have listened to my friends_, Usagi thought. Then she looked at Atlantica's eyes. They were trusting, even if only a little bit.

Usagi turned to look at Bunny's eyes. They were cold, but through them, she could see a look a mother gave her child when the child was scared of something. A look of intense trust and calmness.

"You want to go back?" Bunny asked, her voice soft. "Are you sure?"

"No, forget I said it," Usagi said haughtily. She quickly changed her tone. "I was just unsure for a second." _My friends were judging them_, Usagi thought. _I can't judge people. I'm supposed to be queen of Crystal Tokyo one day. I can't afford to judge people._

"Then let's go!" Bunny said enthusiastically. She grabbed Usagi's shoulders and they both walked toward the door. Usagi felt that same dread and negative energy pouring from the door. She paled. Something wasn't right. All she could see was that darkness.

"Um…maybe we can go someplace else?" she whispered. The door was only three feet in front of her. She turned back to Bunny. "I'm too scared." Bunny just frowned, a look of serious determination on her face.

"Too late to think about that now, isn't it?" she whispered, her voice as cold as ice.

Atlantica let go of the door. "See you on the other side, Usagi-chan. Or should I say Sailor Moon?" Usagi's eyes widened.

"Wait, wh-" Too late. Bunny roughly pushed Usagi through the door. Usagi let out a shriek of fear before getting swallowed into the negative black darkness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Someone's spirit chalice is about to be taken," Megumi said with a sigh in her voice. "I just felt it." Yomicha nodded.

"Me too," she said, touching her _henshin_ pen gently. The two girls were sitting on the balcony of the penthouse Kei lived in. Yomicha looked out over the city. It was a great view, especially of both towers on the side of the building.

"See that darkness emitting from the Starlight Tower?" Yomicha asked, pointing. "It wasn't there earlier."

"We should leave now," Megumi said slowly, her eyes a bit dark. "That chalice could be the one that holds the talisman. The sooner we get it, it's one less problem we'll have to worry about."

"You're right," a voice echoed behind them. Megumi and Yomicha spun around. Kei stood in the frame of the door, leaning against the post. "You're very right, Megumi-chan. The sooner we find this talisman of yours, we'll have less to worry about." Yomicha stared at Kei, but Kei avoided her eyes.

It makes her feel uncomfortable when I'm around her now, Yomicha thought, looking back over the city. _Ever since I told her about that dream, she acts as though she doesn't want anything to do with me. I'm sorry if I hurt you Kei-chan._

, Yomicha thought, looking back over the city. 

"It's at the Starlight Tower," Yomicha said, her voice soft as if not to startle anybody. "I'm sure of it. We should leave now before anything major happens." Megumi nodded. Kei just stared at Yomicha strangely as everyone brought out their transformation devices.

"Midnight zodiac power…"

"Capricorn zodiac power…"

"Scorpio zodiac power…"

"…make UP!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi struggled to get up. The fall had knocked her out for a couple of minutes. She looked around her. She was on a black marble plain. Above her, stars glistened in the night sky. Large crystal formations were growing out of the ground.

And there was no door.

Usagi automatically pulled out her eternal brooch. She had no idea how she got there and a very slim chance on how to get out. She looked around. There was no sound, except for her breathing. A star shot from the sky and into the horizon, lighting it up briefly. Usagi took a deep breath.

"Moon eternal power, make UP!"

A flash of white light and Sailor Moon stepped onto the ground. She was still uneasy about this place. She shivered a bit. It was cold too. She wished desperately that her friends were there.

"Hello!" Sailor Moon called, cupping her hands to her face. "Is there anybody here? Hello?" There was no response, only her own echoes to vibrate back to her. The only light came from the moon above. It was almost too eerie for her.

"Sailor Moon, what an honor," a voice laughed through the darkness. "Welcome to the courtyard where the light of the zodiac constellations meet." A figure appeared on top of one of the crystal rocks. Her long pigtails were blowing in the wind.

"Who are you?" Sailor Moon called. Her voice sounded shaky.

"My name is Sailor Sapphire," the girl laughed, stepping into the moonlight. "I'm sure you remember me. We engaged in a fight about a week ago. I'm surprised that you're Tsukino Usagi."

"Well, don't be," Sailor Moon yelled at her. "How dare you kidnap me and use my heart in such an evil way. I am Eternal Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

"Oh shut up!" another voice snapped. A second figure appeared on the marble floor. "We know who you are. Now I'd like to know how you're going to fight back. Your powers don't work." Sailor Moon flinched at this remark. Things didn't seem as though they were going to go her way.

"Wait! Where's Bunny-san and Atlanica-san?" Sailor Moon demanded as the second soldier stepped into the light. Sailor Emerald.

Sapphire laughed. "She wants to know where Bunny and Atlantica are, Emerald! She is dumber than she looks." Sailor Moon's jaw dropped.

"I am not dumb!" she exclaimed, throwing a decent fit. "I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm NOT!" Emerald rolled her eyes.

"Really now Miss Moon," she said, flipping a strand of hair elegantly. "No need for such a fit. De-transform. Now." Sailor Moon shook her head as she got prepared to throw her tier wand as she would her tiara.

"Moon Tiara Action!" she called. The tier went spinning like a discus. Sapphire just smiled as she caught the spinning scepter object in her hand. Sailor Moon gasped and walked back a step.

"Ah, same tired old tricks," she said, dropping the tier. She kicked it away and walked to Sailor Moon. "I would like you to meet Sailor Ruby and Sailor Topaz." There were two flashes of light. A black and red clad senshi with a braided green ponytail stepped into the light.

"Sailor Ruby here."

Another figure stepped into the light as well. Her black hair was held in braided _odango_s and her sailor fuku was black and yellow. "And I'm Sailor Topaz. A sweet, sweet pleasure to meet you Sailor Moon." She pulled the Oracle Mace from behind her back. "Now I'm afraid you must die."

Sailor Moon froze. That was the cursed scepter that had killed Chibi Moon and all those people in the ice arena. She took a deep breath. "Why do you want to kill me? I've never done a thing to you."

"Yes you have," Sapphire snickered. She turned to Sailor Topaz. "Kill her now and get it over with." Topaz grinned and raised the Oracle Mace.

"Good-bye Sailor Moon!" she said and the black electrical beam shot straight for her. Sailor Moon stared in horror as she closed her eyes, waiting to get hit.

A rose stopped the beam.

Sailor Moon opened one eye and saw the red rose sticking up from the ground. She turned to see a man in a tuxedo standing on a crystal formation. He looked down at the five senshi, his face brutal.

"How dare you try and take the beautiful chalice of this pure-hearted girl. Only evil villains who wish only to destroy all love in this world would do such a cruel thing!"

"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" Sailor Moon yelped happily.

"Don't forget about us now Sailor Moon!" more voices called. Sailor Moon turned and saw her fellow senshi standing behind her. They looked at the crystal senshi angrily.

"You tried to hurt Sailor Moon?" Destiny hissed. "You are going to pay the consequences. Cosmic Ring of Fate!" She raised her hand, waiting for the silver rings to appear around her hand.

They didn't appear.

Destiny gasped. "What happened? My powers are gone too?" Fighter stepped forward.

"Don't worry," she said, looking at the two other starlight senshi. "Our powers still work. Star Serious Laser!"

"Star Gentle Uterus!"

"Star Sensitive Inferno!" There was a dark moment of silence as the realization began to sink in.

Their powers didn't work anymore.

Fighter stared at the others in shock. The Starlights' powers didn't work either. The girls started to look at each other.

Ruby laughed a bit. "This is too good." Mars glared at her.

"You take that back!" she yelled. "We still outnumber you eleven to four! The odds weigh on us." Sapphire cocked her head.

"If you've forgotten, you're on our turf," she said with a sardonic laugh in her voice. She snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, more crystal foundations erupted out of the ground, behind each of the sailor senshi except for Sailor Moon. Manacles appeared in the crystal foundations, clamping the soldiers' hands and ankles to the crystal foundation. They were only about a foot above the ground.

"Now, what were you saying?" Emerald asked, turning to Sailor Moon. "Let's see, where were we? Ah, yes. It's time for you to give up your spirit chalice. Say good-bye Sailor Moon." Topaz pointed the Oracle Mace back at Sailor Moon.

"De-transform, sweet," Topaz said cruelly. Sailor Moon shook her head, dumbfounded. Her friends had just arrived, but now they were as useless as she was without her powers. Had the silver crystal lost its power? No, if it had, she wouldn't have been able to power up as Sailor Moon. So how come her powers didn't work?

Sailor Moon stared down at the brooch on her chest. "If…if I de-transform, will you let my friends go?" Ruby nodded, smiling a bit.

"Sure, you have my word," she said, placing her hands behind her back. Sailor Moon nodded and touched her brooch calmly. In a shower of pink ribbons, Sailor Moon powered down to Usagi. She stood there, looking at the crystal senshi.

"Let them go," Usagi stated simply. Sapphire shook her head and disappeared. She reappeared behind Usagi. Grabbing Usagi around the neck with her arm, she smiled.

"One thing you need to learn, _odango-atama_," she whispered. "There's no such thing as a promise here." Sapphire laughed a bit. With her extra arm, she held out her hand. "This is a new trick I learned recently. Wanna see a sword appear from out of nowhere?"

A glowing sword materialized in Sapphire's hand. Sailor Moon closed her eyes from the blinding light. Something was vaguely familiar about that light.

Jupiter blinked from the blinding light. Now what was going on? It was bad enough that within the first minute they arrived, they were already captured. Now, Usagi was standing helpless in the arms of the very people who wanted her dead. The light was fading quickly. Jupiter quickly looked back to where Sapphire held Usagi. Immediately at seeing the sword, her jaw dropped.

Usagi scrunched her face up. The grip around her neck hurt. She tried to push herself away from Sapphire, but the girl was stronger than she looked. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at her friends' shocked faces.

"I'm sorry _minna_!" she cried, tears spilling down her face. "I'm sorry." Chibi Moon just shook her head, her pink pigtails bouncing against the crystal she was strapped to.

"Usagi-chan, look at the sword," she whispered, her voice astounded. Her red eyes were as round as dinner plates. "Look at the sword. Right now." Usagi looked at her future daughter in confusion, but peered at the sword held in Sapphire's hand. For a second, the light glittering off the golden handle blinded her for a bit. But soon, the light faded and the sword could be seen quiet easily. Usagi gasped.

It was the sacred dagger, Uranus' talisman.

"Where'd you get that from?" Venus demanded. She knew that from the last battle against the Sailor Twins, the sacred dagger had been destroyed in the Dark Moon. Sapphire raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked, holding the blade away from Usagi. "I've always had this. And I need Usagi here to tell me exactly where I got it from, what it is, and why on earth do I have it. For that reason, I need her spirit chalice." The sword glimmered and disappeared. Sapphire smiled a bit. "I'd never kill her though."

"Liar!" Fighter yelled, struggling against the manacles that held her tight. "You let her go right now!" Topaz gave them a mocking stare and then turned back to Usagi. She aimed that Oracle Mace right at her.

"Good-bye Usagi-chan," she whispered. A black electrical beam flashed out of the orb on the weapon. Sapphire held Usagi for a second, then jumped out of the way so not to get hit. Usagi staggered forward.

"Usagi!" Chibi Moon screamed.

The beam hit the girl straight in the chest. The pain was the most excruciating and deepest Usagi had ever felt in her entire life. A million times worse than with her star seed or heart crystal. Usagi let out a shriek of pain as she collapsed backwards. Her body crumpled to the ground as her eyes became lifeless. She breathed heavily before stopping completely.

"Usa-ko!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled as a beautiful, glowing pinkish-silver orb flew from Usagi's limp body. She lay unmoving, as cold as the marble itself. Tears sprang from the young man's eyes. His anger suddenly flared up from his loss of the giggling girl. "You give that back!"

Topaz's face was emotionless as she took the glowing orb. Sapphire, Emerald, and Ruby walked to her. The glow was so breath taking, it nearly made them cry. Sapphire looked at it briefly.

"It's not the talisman," she breathed, reaching out to touch it. The senshi were staring at the four with a hate they never experienced before.

"Don't you dare touch it!" Mars screeched in an emotion torn voice. Her violet eyes were glittering from tears that spilled uncontrollably on her face. Emerald looked up at her, but then turned away.

"Help!" Chibi Moon suddenly cried. The other senshi turned to her and what they saw shocked them.

Chibi Moon was disappearing.

She was flashing in and out. Her red eyes, barely visible, were huge. "Someone! Help me! Please, help me! I don't wanna die! Someone! Help me…" Before anyone could say anything, Chibi Moon was gone, disappearing in shower of pink sparks. But her childish cries lasted long after she was gone.

Tuxedo Kamen pulled at the manacles holding him tight. He had lost his wife and daughter in just seconds. He lowered his head. It was all over. Nothing could save any of them. No one could save Usagi or Chibiusa. There was no hope.

"Aurora Borealis!"

A blue energy ball suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It headed straight for the four crystal senshi. Sapphire glared at the oncoming energy, her aqua eyes dark. She raised her hand above her head.

"Chaotic Storm!" she yelled. A dark blue energy ball appeared around her and headed straight for the attack. There was a huge blast. The four crystal senshi were knocked from their feet.

Topaz cried out as the orb flew from her hands. Emerald saw the glowing pink orb roll across the floor, over to Mercury and Healer. She scrambled to her feet.

"No! The chalice!" she yelled. She started running towards it, then stopped. It wasn't a talisman, so she might as well get rid of it. But…Usagi…

Ruby looked up in alarm as three figures emerged from the darkness. All eyes went towards them.

"Who in the world are they?" Healer whispered, her green eyes huge. The tallest of the group, a girl with silver hair and framed in a blue light stepped forward.

"I am the soldier of discipline, with powers coming from the realm of the planet of silence, Saturn! I am Sailor Capricorn!"

"I am the soldier of forgiveness, but I won't forgive you! With powers coming from the planet Pluto, I'm Sailor Scorpio!"

"Last, but not least, I am the soldier of sacrifice with powers coming from the stars of the zodiac! I am Sailor Midnight!"

"We, soldiers of the revelation and your worst nightmare, have arrived!" they finished in unison. Venus looked surprised.

"Sailor soldiers?"

The senshi looked amazed as the trio stepped forward. Midnight rushed over to Usagi. Her red eyes were dark. "She's dead."

"Of course," Capricorn nodded. She looked over at the pink glowing orb. She then looked back over to the crystal senshi. Her gaze rested on Topaz. "I suggest you four leave before any more trouble starts. As you see, this girl does not have the talisman. Your work is done. Leave or I will personally escort you to hell."

Emerald stared open-mouthed at Capricorn. An anger rose from nowhere within her. Her cheeks felt flushed. "You wanna fight? I swear I'll kill you!" Her voice sounded much too shrill and angry then she had wanted it to. Where on earth had that anger come from?

Sapphire and Ruby felt it too. A fiery anger and hatred swelled up inside them from no particular place. Sapphire brought out her sword and pointed it straight at Capricorn. "Make one move and I will slit your head from your body," she hissed.

Capricorn's eyes widened in recognition at the sight of the sword. She looked back at Sapphire. She took a deep breath. "Leave."

Sapphire begin to take a step toward the silver-haired girl. But Topaz grabbed her arm. Her violet eyes were locked onto Capricorn's azure colored eyes. "Let it go Sailor Sapphire."

"But…"

"Come on," Topaz pleaded. "She's right. Usagi-san doesn't have the talisman. Let's leave before she really does kill us." Sapphire, Ruby, and Emerald looked at Capricorn with murderous glares. In four flashes of light, the crystal senshi were gone.

The remaining senshi stared at the three new senshi in surprise. Scorpio walked over to the chalice. She stared at it a bit. "It's not the talisman." She held it firmly. "You want to give it back to her?"

"Give it back!" Jupiter yelled threateningly. Her green eyes were flashing. "You give that back to Usagi now! Only she's entitled to that chalice thing!" Capricorn's deadly stared turned to the soldier of protection.

"Shut up," she said, shocking the brunette. "You don't know what you're talking about. We are in control of this game right now. We can decide whether this girl lives or dies. If you keep smart-mouthing like that, we won't do a thing for you."

"Yeah. Her life," Sailor Scorpio interrupted sarcastically, "is in our hands. It's be wise not to anger the people who are deciding whether your beloved Usagi lives or not."

Midnight held the limp body in her arms. "We also decide whether the little girl comes back or not." Then she glared at them. "And if you really did care for that child, you would not let her dress up in a senshi _fuku_ and fight monsters twice her size." Tuxedo Kamen just stared at her.

"Who are you three?" he called out. Capricorn looked up slightly at the call. Her slate-blue eyes were dark.

"I guess you can call me and Scorpio Lady Saturn and Lady Pluto's counterparts," she said. Looking around, there was a touch of emotion in her eyes. "But as I see, they aren't here right now." Destiny fought to control the rage boiling up inside her. How dare she say that about Setsuna and Hotaru!

Carefully, Scorpio took the small item in her hands and walked over to Usagi. She gently pushed the pink and silver orb into the girl's body. Three senshi didn't stand back up until Usagi blinked twice, with a rather silly look on her face.

"Huh?" she muttered, sitting up. "Hey, I know you. Weren't you the three that came and…"

"Quiet!" Mars hissed towards Usagi. Usagi just stuck out her tongue and looked back toward the three.

"Thanks a lot," she said with a smile. "I prefer being alive than dead." She shook her head and held out her hand. "My name is Tsukino Usagi." Capricorn looked at her for a second. Something in her mind told her to ask more about the girl.

"So, how'd you get captured?" she asked, ignoring a horrified look from Sailor Midnight and Sailor Scorpio. "I doubt you just happened to wander in here yourself." Usagi said nothing.

Suddenly, on a blank crystal, pink lights began to flash. A small body slowly materialized on it. A very familiar small body.

"Chibi Moon!" the senshi all cried out in unison. The pink-haired girl opened her eyes, then looked down at Usagi.

"Hey, _baka_!" she yelled, her fake anger rising. "What took you so long to save me, huh? I die and you're here conversing with the people…"

"Who brought me back to life so you could live," Usagi muttered, turning to her daughter. She stuck out her tongue. "Stop being such a pest." Chibi Moon just stared at the blonde furiously.

"I'm NOT a pest!" she yelled.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are TOO!"

"Am NOOOOT!"

Capricorn began to back away slowly. She could feel the headache coming on. "I see you have some…uh… family problems here. We'll see you later." She spun around and hastened to leave. Midnight followed her example.

Scorpio stood up and smiled at Chibi Moon. For a second, Chibi Moon thought she had actually seen that smile before. "Good-bye Small Lady. We'll surely meet again."

Usagi realized that her daughter had stopped arguing with her and was now staring at the retreating Scorpio open-mouthed. She just looked at the red-haired girl and then turned back to the pink-clad senshi.

"Some people are just crazy," she noted, shaking her head sadly.


	12. Episode 230

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 230: Identity revealing! Memories of the past revived

* * *

"It was a total bust," Sapphire mumbled beneath her breath. "I still can't believe we did a thing like that."

The zodiac and crystal senshi were meeting in the back courtyard of the floating palace. Each one of them was restless in their own way. Aries kept staring at the crystal senshi with a hint of resentment in her eyes. Sagittarius just looked at her with worry every so often.

"Why would you care whether you took Serenity's chalice or not?" Libra asked scornfully. Her golden eyes flickered. "It's not that you care for her, is it?" There was spite on that question. Emerald just stared at Libra blankly. Then, as always, her gaze wandered over to Sailor Pisces, who was resting against a black marble pillar.

"I doubt you all trust us," she said, standing up. Her blue eyes were a bit hesitant though. "After all, it seems obvious that you guys know that we've received a bit of our memories before the incident. It also seems very likely that we shouldn't trust you."

"Why shouldn't you trust us?" Cancer asked, her blue eyes glowing. "We did make sure you woke up after the accident and we did make sure that you guys tried to remember your memories." Bunny shook her head.

"I just have this feeling that this is not who or where we're supposed to be," she said, her voice darker than usual. "It just doesn't feel right. I don't feel anything when I'm around you seven and that bothers me. Yes, I do feel something when I'm around Sailor Moon slash Usagi. Does that bother you at all?" Her voice had rose several decibels. Emerald put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, it does bother us!" Aquarius shouted back, her pale blue hair flying. Her green eyes were burning. "She is our enemy! We don't agree with her and for sure, we don't care about her."

"Listen to yourself, Aquarius," Sapphire hissed back. "The 'we' in that sentence does not refer to me. I do have some problems attacking innocent people! I don't see why, though we've never done anything to them, we have to do something that puts their lives in danger. I know I feel like I'm supposed to be willing to go through sacrifices to complete my mission, but not now! I'm too confused to put up with your bull now, so just leave me alone!" Sapphire turned back and stormed out of the courtyard. Emerald stood up and just stared at the zodiac senshi.

"I suspect she's right," Emerald said with a sigh. Her blue eyes were troubled. "I don't trust you guys. I'm asking Sailor Moon." Pisces stood up in horror.

"Why?" she screeched, grabbing Emerald's arm. "Didn't you hear what Aquarius just told you?" Emerald just sighed. Everything was just so confusing, she just didn't want to think about it. Taking a deep sigh, she fled from the courtyard after Sapphire.

Topaz just folded her hands on her lap and was silent. She didn't really want to get caught up in the conversation. She was still upset about her attack on Usagi. It was bothering her, though she didn't know why. Aquarius was right. Usagi (or Sailor Moon) was her enemy. She shouldn't care about her so much.

Then why did she?

"I don't know my feelings," Topaz said slowly. The braided _odango_s on her heads were pulling at her scalp, giving her a constant headache. She wanted desperately to take them out. "I don't know whether to agree with Sapphire or you, Aquarius. I guess I'll just leave my thoughts to myself until someone decides to tell me the truth. The entire truth." With that, she stood up and walked away from the courtyard.

Ruby stood up as well. "If you wanted us to hear you scold us on our actions, you should have known better than to get into an argument with Sapphire. That grinds her nerves." With that, she spun around, her long green ponytail flying. She left swiftly from the courtyard.

Aries grinned. Her violet eyes were dark though. "Great. They're mad at us." Virgo shrugged.

"What's so great about that?" she asked sourly. "I don't think the purpose of the meeting was too get them to mad at us. We just wanted them to 'fess up. It seems like we didn't succeed."

"You're quite wrong," a voice suddenly rang out through the darkness. The zodiac senshi looked around for the source of the voice, but found no person. "Those four have minds of their own."

"Oh yeah?" Cancer snapped. She stood up, looking around hesitantly. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. "I bet you you're wrong. The princess gave them their lives with those four glowing spheres. They belong to her." The voice laughed sharply.

"Oh, yes. She did," the voice sounded softer this time, but there was a hint of resentment in it. "But she did not give them their minds. Their memories are still in there, but the evil is concealing them." A figure suddenly shimmered into the midst of the zodiac senshi. Her sailor _fuku_ resembled the zodiac's, but it was in shades of silver and gold. Her long hair was golden-blonde with silver streaks in it. Her eyes were deep blue and innocent. She smiled at the seven senshi. "Hello, my sailor senshi."

"Sailor Leo!" Sagittarius screeched. She stood up immediately. "What are you doing here?"

Leo smiled softly, touching her soft blonde hair gently. "I've come to help you, my dear." Cancer glared at her, rising to her feet, ignoring the fact that she was several inches shorter than the blonde.

"What do you want from us?" she asked, folding her arms. Leo laughed, a gorgeous, tinkling sound. She walked toward Sailor Cancer, her smile gleaming brightly.

"I know some very important things about this battle that you don't," she said sweetly. She looked at them all. "You see, I've gotten a bit more powerful since we've last met." Libra looked at her with an insulting scowl on her face.

"Last time we met, you nearly killed us all with that infatuation with that sailor soldier. Or have you forgotten?" Leo's face fell and the other senshi could almost see the pain in her eyes. Almost.

"Libra, you are a fool," Leo whispered dangerously, the face of the sailor soldier in question appearing in her mind's eye. "You are not the dictator of destiny. What's wrong with my feelings towards her, hmmm?" Libra rolled her eyes.

"Everything," she spat out. The other senshi could feel the intense moment and Cancer took a deep breath.

"Ohcomeonyoutwowereallydon'thavetimeforthismesscan'tyoujustkissandmakeuporsomething wehavemoreimportantthingsonourmindsatthemoment," Cancer said in one breath. The other senshi turned to her in amazement. The girl blushed.

"Cancer is right. Act your appropriate age," Virgo said between loud smacks of gum. Aries briefly smacked Virgo upside the head. Virgo pretended to be choking on her gum, clutching her throat in agony.

"If you're trying to be serious, it's not going to work with that piece of gum in your mouth," Aries hissed. Virgo just glared at her and blew a huge bubble. Aries, of course, popped it and Virgo's face was covered in pink goo.

"Arieeees!" Virgo shrieked, pulling the stuff from her face. Leo laughed a bit before bursting out into a row of ladylike giggles.

"So, what new powers do you have?" Sagittarius asked, standing up to stretch. She looked over at the silver and gold soldier. Her brown eyes flickered for a second. "Anything quiet interesting?" Leo smiled, touching a golden brooch that was on a silver bow on her chest. There was a glowing silver and gold light that flashed around the soldier's body. It dimmed suddenly as the other senshi looked up.

Staring back at them was Sailor Moon.

Cancer's mouth dropped to a perfect O. Her eyes began bugging out. "S-S-Sailor Leo?" Sailor Moon laughed a bit.

"Of course not," Sailor Moon said wickedly, a crooked smile appearing on her face. She struck her pose. "_Watashi wa sailor fuku bishoujo senshi_, Sailor Moon! _Tsukini kamatte, oshiotte yo_!" Then she laughed. "That's kinds fun, saying all that crap."

Aries rolled her eyes. "Sailor Leo, you are too much. How did you do that?" Sailor Moon just put her hands on her hips.

"Easy, easy," she said. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's quite fun turning into other people." Pisces cupped her chin in her hand. She had just recently cut her hair into medium-length, looking quiet serious.

"Let's see what you can do Sailor Leo," she said quietly. "Use one of Sailor Moon's attacks. If you know any, of course." Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo smiled as she concentrated.

"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" she shouted as a parody moon staff appeared in her hands. Pink and silver hearts flew from the base, but dissolved immediately so not to hurt anybody. Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo smirked.

"How's that?" she asked. The seven senshi applauded. Aquarius stepped forward.

"Okay, you can turn into Sailor Moon and do a bit of her tricks," she said. There was an evil glint in her eyes. "There's a senshi for each planet. We've seen most of our counterparts. But time as washed away our vivid memories. Tell us, who does…" she stopped and looked at the others, "…who does Sailor Neptune look like?" Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo took a deep breath.

"Sailor Neptune?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Let me wrack my memories. Yes, I remember now." She closed her eyes and was about to transform.

"_Minna_!" Ruby yelled, cutting off Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo's concentration. She was standing over by the courtyard entrance, waving frantically at them. "The princess would like to speak to you! Something about a new senshi! She's really mad! You better get in here on the double!"

"Oh, man!" Leo grumbled. "She is not going to be that pleased to see me." Libra smirked.

"Not very likely," she said crisply. "But while you're here, we can fill you in with what's been going on here lately." Leo stared at her for a second before her Sailor Moon façade flickered and disappeared.

"Okay. Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They are royally ticked at us," Kei groaned, leaning back against the cough. Her red eyes were uneasy. "We shouldn't have bad-mouthed them like that. Seeing that Usagi was in trouble and all."

"Yeah, yeah," Yomicha grumbled, looking up at the ceiling. She rested her head on the back of the wall and crossed her arms. "We've been doing this battle for nearly a month now and still no sign of the talisman. If we don't find it soon…"

"We can't think about it all the time," Megumi said slowly as she walked into the living room. Her green eyes were troubled as she sat down on the step that separated the living room from the balcony area. She put her head on her knees and began rocking back and forth. "We can't, we can't. If we think about too much, it'll remind us of what really happened. What you and I are guilty of."

Kei looked up and then out the window. "Daddy called today. He said that he might be returning in two weeks or so. He told me to blame the extra week on his co-worker, Misha. Something about smart-mouthing at the director." Yomicha stared at Kei for awhile. For a moment, their eyes locked, but Kei tore her glance away.

"Are you still mad at me?" Yomicha asked spitefully. Kei looked away, a look of disgust on her face. Yomicha swallowed to keep her annoyance in tack. "How on earth could you still be mad at me for something that happened millennia ago, huh? If I ever hurt you, I'm sorry. But if you don't talk to me, how can I know what's wrong?" Kei turned to her, her eyes raging.

"Why must you always know what's wrong with me?" she nearly screamed. "Can't I have my own private life without you butting in all the time? Why can't you just leave me alone to think, give me some space? Just because you've been performing this sacrifice so long and you have all these memories, doesn't mean that I'm the freshman of all this crap! I do have feelings about this you know! Why do you feel that you can change everything with one word?" Yomicha felt the color drain from her face as the reality of those words hit her. Megumi looked up at her friend in horror as Yomicha grasped the wall suddenly.

The truth, Megumi thought in absolute horror. _Those terrible memories are coming back. What we had to do...the ultimate sacrifice..._

, Megumi thought in absolute horror. 

Kei was angrier now then she had ever been in her life. "Why did you change everything from how it used to be? I don't care what you say, you know what really happened back then! You know it, Yomicha-chan! Why can't you come out and say it? Why can't you just say that you murdered so many helpless people who never did a thing to you? Why can't you just say that you took the sword, and pierced those people straight through and through, just for the sake of a destiny that will put all sailor senshi in hell? Why can't you just realize how many people you hurt in that process because the blood is on your hands? Can't you remember those agonizing screams that filled your deaf ears? It really happened, Yomicha-chan." Her voice had become as icy as steel now. "And no matter how many good acts you think you've accomplished, there's no forgiveness from trying to be a god and changing the rules of Fate. And you know it, Yomicha. All of it is your fault." Her words were much worse than Megumi had expected. Much worse. She looked at Yomicha in stricken alarm.

Yomicha had gone paler than she had ever seen in her entire life. Each word Kei had said descended upon her hit her life a sledgehammer. There was an awful ripping in her heart and for a second, she couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred from burning, salty tears. She was shaking like a wet dog and looked as if she would vomit any minute.

Kei stared at Yomicha angrily, breathing hard. Her memories were too clear, but…the state Yomicha was in began to scare her and shock her. She almost couldn't believe what she had just done to her. To Yomicha. She loved this person with her whole heart. How on earth could she have hurt her so much?

"Yomicha…" she whispered pleadingly, trying to look in the girl's eyes. But Yomicha wouldn't even make eye contact. Tears were spilling down her face swiftly and silently. Kei's own eyes filled with tears. Where those short flashbacks had come from, she wasn't sure, but she did know that Yomicha knew about them in much more detail then she did.

Making a sound like wounded puppy, Yomicha fled from the room. Megumi stood to go after her. It had never bothered her this much. Never, in any of their previous lifetimes, had she felt this severe about it...about changing the destiny of all the sailor soldiers.

Kei turned to Megumi. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just so angry with what she did." Megumi didn't even look at her in return.

"That Yomicha in your memories," Megumi hissed scornfully, "is not the Yomicha you know now. Admit it. She's changed, Kei-chan. She used to be the most powerful of all the senshi. Two words and the entire world would have been destroyed. And it happened. It happened to this planet. Everyone was wiped out because she knew that our destiny had to change or else there would be nothing but battles and death. She tried desperately to forget about it, Kei, because it hurts her to think about the cost of lives innocent people had to pay for unborn generations. She was struggling to forget. She didn't _want_ to remember what she had done because in the end, all the sailor senshi will have to pay the price for something she did millennia ago."

Kei looked away, ashamed. Her memories weren't that vivid, but she could make things out enough to know what was happening. Megumi walked right up to Kei and looked her straight in the eye.

"Kei-chan, you hurt her more than you know. You hurt her worse than you could have stabbing a sword through her chest. And I think she would rather prefer a sword and death than those horrible memories of the things she did when she was that sailor soldier you remember. Do you understand me?"

"_Hai_," Kei whispered slowly, looking at the door Yomicha had rushed out of. Tears spilled down her eyes. "I do, Megumi-chan." In her heart, she said, _I'm sorry Yomicha. I'm so sorry_.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi stretched a bit. It was finally good to escape some of her friends for a while. They had made such a fuss over her since she had been brought back. It was nice for a while. Then it got annoying.

"They aren't trying to be annoying," Luna suddenly said. She had joined her owner on the walk. She had been told about the incident after Usagi came home. "They're just glad you're all right." Usagi sniffed.

"Well, can't they give me a little space. Even Rei-chan was being nice to me. And that scared me!" Luna rolled her eyes.

"You are pathetic, Usagi-chan."

"You can't say that to me, Luna," Usagi muttered, picking the cat up by the scruff of her neck. "I'm a princess and I will punish you in the name of the moon if you do!" Luna got a huge sweatdrop and facefaulted.

"I give up," she mumbled. Usagi flashed a victory sign with her fingers.

"Usagi-chan!" a familiar voice yelled from down the street. Usagi looked up in alarm, praying that it wasn't one of her friends.

It was, but not any of her senshi friends.

"Hey, Naru-chan!" Usagi yelled in delight. The red-haired girl wrapped her in a hug. "Hi, Naru-chan! How are you doing? Wow, it's been such a long time since I've been able to talk to you." Naru smiled.

"You were all depressed in this recent year and were very quiet," she said, her red locks bouncing enthusiastically. "Are you ever gonna tell me what happened?"

"_Nani_?" Usagi pretended to be confused. "What are you talking about Naru-chan? I haven't been depressed at all. Just tired." Naru suddenly became serious all of a sudden. She grasped Usagi's hands in hers.

"Usagi-chan, we've been friends ever since grade school," she said, her voice sounding a faint familiar. Usagi shook off the weird feeling and continued listening. "I've always told you that if you had any problems, you could come to me about them. You haven't been doing that, but if you have really good reasons, then I won't push you. But if you need to talk to someone besides your new friends, then I'm always here for you."

Usagi stared at Naru for a second before her eyes filled up with tears. It wasn't fair to keep secrets from Naru. But she had sworn by Luna that she'd never reveal her identity to anyone. But Naru was right. She had been her best friend since grade school. It wasn't right to pull away because she had three years ago found out she was the reincarnation of a princess from the Silver Millennium.

"Naru-chan, the truth is…" Usagi began, looking at the store Osa-P across the street. "Come on, I'll tell you where it's private." Naru nodded, but Luna cocked her head to the side, clearly confused. But her owner was already walking across the street with Naru at her heels. She had no choice but to follow.

Usagi reached the opposite side of the street. She put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. The light had started blinking when they weren't even halfway across and they had to run for it. She smiled at Naru as she felt a figure run past her.

With an annoyed look on her face, she turned to see who had rudely bumped into her. Her eyes widened a bit. "Y-Yomicha-san?" she asked. The silver-haired girl stopped running, but her back was still turned to Usagi. "Yomicha-san, are you okay? In a hurry or something?"

Yomicha turned to Usagi and Luna nearly gave away her identity by gasping at the girl's state. Her face was practically as white as snow, her eyes were huge and torn with tears and a grief that almost made Usagi cry. Naru was also a bit surprised by that state of the stranger.

"Yomicha-san, are you all right?" Usagi asked, touching her brooch slowly. Yomicha didn't even respond and Usagi saw her shaking a bit. Turning to Naru, she said, "Naru-chan, you go right inside. I'll catch up in a few." Naru, too confused on what was happening, just nodded and walked into her mother's store.

Usagi led Yomicha over to a bench near Osa-P. She took notice of the black and frail looking outfit Yomicha was wearing. Taking a deep breath, she sat as Yomicha simply sank into the bench next to her. She looked at the girl with large blue eyes. "Yomicha-san, what's wrong?"

No response. Yomicha just buried her hands in her face and began sobbing. Her shoulders shook with each muffled cry. Luna sat under the bench, looking up at Usagi or Yomicha every so often. _I feel an odd power coming from this girl_, Luna thought to herself.

Usagi put her arm around Yomicha, hoping to comfort her. The look of grief in her eyes had been so raw, it took most of Usagi's will to keep from crying herself.

"Yomicha-san," she said softly. The girl looked up for a second. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I won't pressure you, but I'd like to know how I can help. So please tell me, if you can."

"You can't help me," Yomicha whispered, turning away. Her voice was feral...almost to the point where Usagi wanted to cry. "No one can help me and I don't deserve the help anyway." The words Kei had said kept repeating in her head, like a broken record. But with this broken record, came countless memories.

"I'd like to help you anyway," Usagi said. Her blue eyes were honest and trusting. "Even if you think you don't deserve it." Yomicha stared at the girl's eyes and then down to a pink brooch on her chest.

"I-I-I can't tell you," Yomicha said, her voice suddenly choked in sobs. What she had said earlier during that battle made her heart sore. She had actually been debating whether to keep Usagi alive or not. Another life had almost been lost again due to her. "I'm sorry Usagi-chan," she suddenly said. Usagi looked surprised, but not scared.

"Sorry for what?" she asked gently. "Don't worry, I won't hold anything against you." Yomicha felt this urge to tell Usagi all about her problems, who she was, and everything. But her own duty kept her mouth shut.

Usagi was patient though. "Well, then. How about I tell you a secret?" Luna's ears perked up. What was Usagi planning on doing?

Yomicha just shrugged. "Do as you like. I don't deserve anything from anybody anymore. I've made too many mistakes in my past life to accept apologies and secrets." Luna heard this and got to her feet. Past life? What did she mean by that?

"Past life?" Usagi asked, keeping her voice low. There were few passersby, but she didn't want to risk anyone hearing her still. "What do you mean by that?" Yomicha took a deep breath and looked at Usagi. Too late to pull back now.

"Promise not to tell anyone," Yomicha pleaded, keeping her voice low as well. Usagi nodded and Luna got prepared to her a confession.

"I promise."

"Well, I'm kind of…a sailor senshi," Yomicha said. She held her breath, waiting for Usagi's reaction. Luna's mouth had dropped to the ground. A sailor soldier?

Usagi suddenly started laughing. Yomicha looked annoyed, but not surprised. Usagi saw the look and immediately cut her laughter into giggles. "What a coincidence." Before Luna could do anything to stop her, Usagi said, "I'm a sailor senshi too. Except I'm Sailor Moon. Which one are you?" Luna groaned. Yomicha heard the groan and looked under the bench.

"A cat!" she exclaimed. Then she recognized that moon insignia on Luna's forehead. "You're a cat from the moon. Luna, if I'm not mistaken? Princess Serenity's slightly miffed and strict guardian." Luna flinched at the description, but nodded. "Long time, no see Luna."

"What?" Luna asked, not bothering to hide her secret. After all, this person seemed to know her already. "I've never met you before in my life. What do you want?"

"My senshi alias is Sailor Capricorn," Yomicha said. Her slate blue eyes were dark for a second. "And I can't say I'm proud to be so, even if it is different from the name I had before."

"Sailor Capricorn?" Usagi repeated, looking at Yomicha a bit. "You're the one who saved Chibi Moon that day. I never did get a chance to thank you properly. So, uh, thank you."

"Of course," Yomicha said with a bowed head. "You're welcome, Princess." Usagi was caught off guard by the formality of her voice.

"Oh, you can call me Usagi," she said quickly, hoping that the silver-haired girl would. "Everyone else does." Yomicha shook her head.

"I'm afraid not, Princess," she said. "I've shown disrespect to you in the past and it ended up in a war. I think I'll just call you by your appropriate title." Slowly, she became quiet. Her eyes began to realize something. "If you're Serenity, then the others you hang around with most of the time…"

"Um, they're sailor senshi too."

"Not just sailor senshi," Yomicha continued. "Mizuno-san, the blue-haired girl is really Lady Mercury…"

"Lady Mercury?" Usagi asked. "I thought it was just Princess Mercury. I didn't ever hear 'lady' in front of the planet." Yomicha smiled.

"By the time you all were sixteen, your ladies-in-waiting began calling you by that title, showing you were older and more mature," Yomicha explained. "Since you're all seventeen now, 'lady' seems a lot more appropriate than 'princess'." She continued. "Lady Mars has to be that girl Hino-san, the features so exact. That brunette Kino-san is no other than Lady Jupiter and Lady Venus is that pretty blonde Aino-san. That young man, Mamoru-kun, is Prince Endymion."

"Isn't 'prince' a little too young?" Usagi inquired.

"Well, Sir Endymion sounded a bit stiff. You always called him Endy-chan. It was so cute. Those other five that were with you though, I've never seen them before in my life."

"Um, that would be Sailor Destiny, Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Star Fighter, Healer, and Maker," Usagi said. "Wouldn't they be Lady Destiny, Lady Chibi Moon, Lady Star Fi-"

"Not at all," Yomicha said with a smile. "Sailor Destiny isn't a princess. Just a sailor soldier."

"But…" Usagi began, but stopped. It was true. Back in the Silver Millennium, Hogoshi had stumbled across the outers and befriended them. They had never said anything about Hogoshi being a princess.

"Sailor Chibi Moon, I'm guessing your daughter?" Yomicha asked, a hint of amusement in her tone. Usagi nodded. "She would be, if according to the past, Princess Small Lady Serenity. They called her…"

"Small Lady, for short," Usagi said. Yomicha was surprised.

"How did you know?"

"Setsuna-san used to call her that all the time." Seeing the confused look on Yomicha's face, she blushed. "Setsuna-san was Sailor Pluto or, Lady Pluto." Yomicha nodded. Luna looked at the girl, amusement in her face.

"How do you know so much about the senshi?" she asked. "My memories were wiped out when the Silver Millennium was destroyed. Only a number have come back." Usagi grinned.

"Yeah, she doesn't remember things until they're too late," she said, knocking Luna on the head with her hand. "She didn't know I was the princess until we already knew! She's no help." Yomicha shook her head.

"Don't say that Princess. Luna has helped you many times before in your past lives. She is a great help to you."

"Well, this lifetime, she didn't help at all. All she does is nag on me and don't let me read manga or sleep late or pig out on food or have any fun!" Usagi began crying loudly, huge, ridiculous tears spilling down her face. "She. Is. So. MEAN!" Yomicha flinched. This Serenity wasn't as quiet and polite as the last one. Luna just sat, bristling. Obviously, she was used to Usagi's crying.

"Um, Princess. Calm down," Yomicha whispered.

"You're. So. MEEEEAN!"

"Um, Princess?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skylar sighed. She was looking out over the ocean restlessly. Everybody was so tense lately. No one said anything or explained anything to her. It wasn't fair. She tried as hard as any other person, maybe even harder. She hadn't had enough flashbacks from Usagi to get any clue who or what she was before the accident.

So now she was here.

Sighing, Skylar leaned heavily on the railing, facing the Pacific Ocean. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her tense nerves. Bunny, Atlantica and Zephyr all seemed upset about this turn of events. She herself was getting quite bored with this little hunt for the talisman. It wasn't fun to start out with. Now, after killing Usagi, the game had turned from boring to austere. And it wasn't getting any better from there.

"Hey, lady," a voice suddenly said spoke up from behind her. Skylar turned around and saw a small pink-haired child standing with both hands behind her back. "Oh, you're not a lady. You barely look older than me."

"Oh, really?" Skylar asked, irritated. "Well, I'm fourteen. Now that you know that, go away."

"What's you name?"

"Skylar." The girl's eyes lit up.

"Oooh, that's such a pretty name," she swooned. "It's American, isn't it? My name is Chibiusa. Actually, my name is Usagi, but that's my…um… cousin's name and I'm smaller than her so they call me Chibiusa."

"Is that right?" Skylar inquired dryly. She turned back to the railing, trying to ignore the girl. "Well, you can leave now Chibiusa-chan." Chibiusa shook her head.

"Call me Chibiusa-chan," she said, standing next to the girl. "That's what all my friends call me." Skylar groaned. Who had announced that they were friends? "I've only seen you around once. You were talking to Usagi-chan in the park. Why'd you use her like that?" Skylar turned to Chibiusa in horror. Her violet eyes grew.

"You were spying on us?" Skylar hissed, glaring at the little girl angrily. "How dare you!" Chibiusa just shrugged, turning back to look at the oceanview.

"I'm sorry if that bothers you," she said. "My friends didn't want me to speak to you because they think you and the other three are evil. I thought so too at first, but then I remembered the old saying, 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. So, I decided I could get to know you. By the way you were looking, it looks like you needed a friend to talk to."

Skylar was silent for a moment as she considered an offer. "A friend? You'd be my friend, even if I'm evil?" Chibiusa nodded.

"I guess you already figured out I'm a sailor," she said with a sigh. "I'm Super Sailor Chibi Moon. Or, just Chibi Moon if you don't wanna get tongue-tied. I know I'm taking a big risk with trying to be friends with you, but some people say I get it from my mama." She shuddered in horror. "Did I just say that?" Skylar stared at the little girl before a smile appeared on her face. She giggled a bit.

"You're risking a lot by telling me this," she said. "But, if you can be honest and I can be a friend, I'll try to compromise."

"Well then! My first question is: why are you looking for a talisman, even if it means killing people in the process?" Skylar looked at the girl for a second before turning away. What really was the reason? Because the zodiac senshi had told them to? But then again, the zodiac senshi weren't really that honest, although it seemed so. Why _were_ they doing it?

"Skylar-san?"

Skylar took a deep breath and stared at Chibiusa haughtily. "I guess I don't really need a friend as much as I thought. We're enemies and we don't become friends with each other. It was nice talking to you, but this is good-bye Chibiusa-chan." She began to walk away.

"Skylar-san, why do you walk away from your problems?" Chibiusa called after her. Skylar stopped for a second.

"I just want to know who I really am," she whispered. It was near silent, so Chibiusa heard the words well. Her red eyes widened to their maximum extent.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. Skylar just shook her head and disappeared into thin air. Chibiusa just stared at the spot where the raven-haired girl had disappeared. Her eyes were wider than they ever had been.

She wants to know who she is?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Usagi grabbed Yomicha's arm for a second. "Hang on, I need to tell Naru-chan I'm leaving," she said quickly. Yomicha just nodded and watched Usagi run back a block to Osa-P. She shook her head, chuckling to herself. That girl was always the same.

"Yomicha-san, who was that Selene you spoke of before?" Luna asked, her voice sounding a bit spiteful. "Has she changed much from the Silver Millennium?" Yomicha shrugged a bit.

"She's not my cat," she said, sighing a bit. "She's always been Kei's…I mean, Sailor Midnight's…cat. From what I know, Selene is still Selene." Luna shook her head.

"What do you think about this lifetime, Yomicha-san?" she asked, stooping on her haunches. Her face was full of concern as she tried to remember previous lifetimes.

Yomicha sighed again, this time, more deeply. "It's different. This is probably the least…the least…the least something of all the lifetimes. I can't very well find a word. In other lifetimes, the girls were considered princesses and lived like such too. And according to the princess, the next lifetime will be just like the past lifetimes. But this time around…the girls are just, well, ordinary."

"Ordinary indeed!" Luna exclaimed. "They've saved the world many times before and are incarnations of the princesses of the past. We've only visited our previous lifetime once."

"Yes, the one a thousand years ago," Yomicha grinned. She was a bit troubled though. "And in all other lifetimes, every single planet was inhabited. Now, it's just Earth. The moon is just a dead rock in the sky and Pluto has never even been seen by the human eye. It's quite different. I guess you could say I preferred other lifetimes other than this one. But…maybe this one will show us something. Maybe this lifetime is different for a reason." Luna shrugged, a very odd movement for a cat. Because of this, she didn't catch the sudden sorrowful look in the silver-haired girl's slate blue eyes.

"And you aren't a human." This caught Luna's attention as she looked up into Yomicha's face. But those eyes had years of wisdom in them. They knew how to hide a secret. And Luna was too polite to ask what Yomicha was talking about.

"I'm baaack!" Usagi yelled, storming down the street. She giggled a bit. "Naru-chan told me to come over later tonight to explain what I need to. Ah, well! Nothing lost is nothing gained!" Yomicha shook her head.

"It's 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'," she said with a smile. "Lady Jupiter would be very displeased if no one got her saying right." Usagi's blue eyes widened.

"You mean, she made up that phrase?" she gasped. Yomicha nodded as Usagi facefaulted. A large sweatdrop appeared over her head.

"Many phrases from this world are from the senshi and their court," Yomicha explained. She laughed a bit. "Heard the phrase, 'give me that thing before you put someone's eye out'? Well, let's just say Lady Mars was not all that happy the rest of the day." Usagi giggled a bit.

"Any others?"

"Um…yeah. But Lady Venus messed up most of the phrases. She liked getting on the others nerves by quoting them wrong." Usagi nodded. Sounded liken the Minako of the present. Except she wasn't trying to bug anyone by getting the phrases wrong.

"Would you like to meet them?" Usagi asked suddenly. Yomicha's eyes grew large.

"Well…I couldn't…it's, um, just…well…I kind of…" Yomicha stuttered. Her cheeks were a rosy colored as an apple. "I mean…oh, forget it. I'll come." Usagi cheered as she grabbed Yomicha by the arm and stormed down the street to the Hikawa Jinja.

Luna groaned. "Usagi-chan, wait for me!"

Usagi paid her no mind. She was lost in her own thoughts. _Wow, I know someone who knows all about our past. She says we were different back then. I don't care! I have a new friend who won't be crying all over me like the others are. Luna is shocked. If there's a soldier for the constellation Capricorn, then I wonder if there's a sailor of the asteroid belt._

"Is there a sailor of the asteroid belt?" Usagi asked, taking a breath after running through another 'Don't Walk' sign. Yomicha was too busy gasping to answer. She took a deep breath and then wheezed out another breath. She glared at Usagi.

"There were four sailors of the asteroid belt," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Sailor Ceres, Sailor Pallas, Sailor Vesta, and Sailor Juno. But, they haven't been around for a while. And next time you try to get me killed, I will get you in the next lifetime."

"Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, Juno?" Usagi echoed. "Sounds like the Amazoness Quartet." She shrugged a bit as she looked back down the street. "The Hikawa Jinja is just up the street. I just hope the others are there." Yomicha just sighed heavily as Usagi, with an iron grip, hauled her to the shrine down the street.

I had better call Kei and Megumi-chan when I get to the Hikawa Jinja, Yomicha thought. _I just hope Kei…I just hope she's forgiven me. I really never meant to hurt her. Lady Venus and Lady Jupiter were always ones for love and romance. But this lifetime around, I might have to deal with my problems myself. I can't risk anyone getting hurt again._

, Yomicha thought. 

"Yomicha-san, you told me about myself and the others," Usagi suddenly piped up. She had slowed her pace to a normal gait. She turned to look at the taller girl with a question mark in her eye. "But you haven't told me about yourself. It's like you're averting to do so."

"Princess, I've told you in previous lifetimes about myself and it's always ended up in some sort of disaster," Yomicha explained. Usagi got a serene look on her face, the one she used when she was getting serious, but trying to say calm at the same time.

"Yomicha-san," she started, dropping the girl's hand. Her blue eyes were stern, "You've told me that I can't ask about you about yourself because something bad might happen. You've also said that you must address me by my proper name because something might happen as well. Why must you be so mysterious? If it's for my own good, I understand. But if you just want to keep tight-lipped about this stuff, then I will have to command you to speak." Yomicha's jaw dropped. Even if she wasn't a princess, Usagi still seemed to have something that might give away that she was royal blood. And that meant that you had no choice but to listen.

"I can't tell you," Yomicha whispered. Her slate-blue eyes hardened. "Believe me! If I could tell you, I would! But I can't because there are always consequences! Why do you think we three were being mysterious in the first place ever since the first fight? Because there are consequences with every wrong move that you may think is right! But you don't now it's wrong until it's too late! Believe me. I know what it's like to make those kind of mistakes and end up regretting it for the rest of eternity." Usagi was briefly lost for words. Then her brow cleared and her face changed. From calm and stern, it turned to soft and compassionate.

"I understand, Yomicha-san," she said softly before grabbing her wrist again. Her comical expression slowly started to appear back on her face. Before her goofy self returned, Usagi said in a voice that Yomicha realized, "Everything will be right again. I won't allow anything bad to happen to any of my senshi." Her old self returned. "But we're going to be late if we keep dawdling. Hurry up!" Yomicha didn't say anything. She just allowed herself to be dragged into the shrine behind Usagi.

"Surprise!" Usagi yelled as she slammed the door open. Four other girls were sitting around a table, eating some sugar cookies that Mako had obviously made. The four girls looked up at their new companion. "Hi, _minna_! Look who I found!" Rei shrugged, but managed a polite hello.

"Hi, Yomicha-san," Minako said enthusiastically. "Hope Usagi-chan didn't pull your arm off by bringing you here." Yomicha was rubbing her wrist, where it had turned red from Usagi's grip. She managed a smile as the Makoto and Ami said their hellos as well.

"Can I use your phone?" Yomicha asked. "I have to call my friends to tell them I'm okay." Usagi was about to say something, but Rei just shook her head. She looked back at Yomicha.

"It's in the other room," she said, a frown on her face. Her violet eyes were dark as she stared at the napkin in front of her. "But be careful. Grandpa might try to sign you up to work at the temple. Don't talk to Yuuichirou-kun. He's in a bad mood." Yomicha nodded and left the room. Rei watched her cautiously before turning back to Usagi. Her voice was poisonous. "What were you thinking Usagi? I'm getting weird vibes from that girl. Don't you remember last time you trusted someone and ended up getting your chalice taken?"

Usagi's eyes got large. "But-"

"But nothing," Ami agreed, closing the book she was reading. "Rei-chan is right. You shouldn't trust other people so easily. They may be trying to use you since you're so innocent and trusting." Her blue eyes were sad, as always. "You've only got twenty years of innocence. Try to live that long and hold tight to those years." Usagi's jaw dropped.

"But, Ami-chan, Yomicha-san is-"

"We are just trying to protect you," Mako added, cleaning up the table. She showed Usagi the rest of the cookies. "Have a feast Usagi." Usagi stared at the cookies and then back at her friends. She was close to tears. They wouldn't even hear her out.

"_Minna_, please. Yomicha isn't like that. She's-" Minako cut her off this time.

"Usagi-chan, try to understand us," she said, tugging her red bow to make sure it was tight. It had been too loose ever since she got to the shrine. "You are our princess. We'd risk our lives for you, you know that. But lately, you've been making decisions that have actually cost you your life. It was a good thing those three senshi showed up and saved you. We can't run after every mistake you make. When we give you warning, take that to mind and heart. Yomicha-san is…"

"…a sailor soldier," another voice finished. They saw Luna walk through the door, who had clearly run all the way to Hikawa Jinja. She was breathing a bit hard, but managed to gather her breath to inform the four inner senshi.

They seemed rather shocked.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yomicha dialed the number to Kei's house. She sighed heavily. She hoped that Megumi answered the phone. Somehow, she couldn't seem to find the nerve to speak to Kei after what had happened.

The phone rang more times then any sensible person would have allowed it to ring. Yomicha sighed again. No one was home.

Just as she was about to put down the phone, there was click on the other line. "_Moshi, moshi_. This is Meino Keiko, may I help you?" Yomicha took a deep breath nervously. The memories were coming in another wave again.

"Hello?" Kei asked again. "Is this a prank call?" Yomicha took a deep breath again.

"No, it's not." There was silence on the other end as Kei seemed to gasp a bit. Yomicha was breathing heavily into the receiver. She could feel her blood drain from her head. Not again. Not this again, Yomicha thought desperately.

"Yomicha?" Kei breathed, her voice seemingly shocked.

"Y-y-yeah. It's me." Another pause. Kei seemed to be considering what to say.

"Are you okay?" she finally asked. Yomicha felt the queasiness come again and touched her stomach with a free hand. No, she wasn't okay. It felt like she would pass out any second now. The tears were brimming in her eyes and all she could see was that red rage that blurred her actions. But she could still hear their screams. Pleading for her to stop. And she hadn't. She continued until the growing bloodthirstiness in her had dimmed away. And by then, it had been too late.

"Oh, Kei!" she sobbed into the phone. She was at loss for words. A new memory entered her mind, among the countless of others. A young woman stood, staring at her with wide garnet eyes that were fleckled with hate. Strands of silky green hair flew across her face from the gentle, yet still harsh winds.

"When it comes time for peace to come for eternity...how can you break the Princess' heart?"

"Kei, how could I do that do those people?" Yomicha lamented, the sickness now permanent in her stomach. "Why did I think that was right? Why on earth did I think I could control destiny and put you and everyone through this?" But it was worse then that. "And now I'm in the presence of Serenity and her court and they don't remember a thing! They think I'm their friend. Only…only Lady Pluto remembered everything. Lady Saturn pities me and Lady Neptune and Lady Uranus always want to kill me. And by the time we arrived, they were already gone. I couldn't even apologize to Lady Pluto. I tried to give them peace...but seeing how different their lifetime is this time..." Yomicha didn't even finish.

"Yomicha," Kei whispered. Her voice was stern. "You cannot possibly blame yourself for past actions. What's done is done. You can't go back and change everyone's fate again. Even if the Princess' heart was broken, you can't change that can you?" The horror of those words was almost too much for Yomicha to handle.

"I don't know," Yomicha whispered, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit. Her hand was shaking as she clutched the phone with an unseen determination. "But, she is the one who had saved me. She is the one who forgave me without even knowing what to forgive me from. I don't deserve that kind of affection. Sometime, I don't know when, something that I did in the past will shatter her heart. That's how I repaid her. I put her destiny and the destiny of all senshi in stone." Yomicha didn't even try to stop the tears that spilled down her cheeks. It didn't matter.

Kei was silent for a moment as realization struck her deep. Yomicha wasn't trying to get affection from the sailors. She just wanted to protect them, knowing it was the least bit she could do, despite everything. She didn't care about her own emotions. She just didn't want to see anyone hurt anymore.

A smile curled on Kei's face as a warm feeling filled her heart. "I just want to say…you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Yomicha-san. I haven't known you long and it's hard to say what I really feel. Ever since Daddy left, you've been at my side, even if you seemed to be humiliating me one way or another. I guess I didn't repay you back so well. I guess I was too afraid to admit that…" Kei's voice trailed off to an inaudible whisper. She found her voice again. "…that I love you." Yomicha didn't drop the phone from shock.

"Kei, I know you," Yomicha whispered. "I just want to be there for you. If I push you too hard, that means that I'm worried about you. You don't know it, but we've always been there for each other. I just don't want to you to get hurt on my account, like so many people did."

"Silly," Kei giggled, though there was relief in her voice. "I'd die a thousand deaths before any harm would come upon you. That's why I like you." Her voice suddenly became serious. "_Ai shiteru_, Yomicha-chan." Yomicha smiled.

"_Hai_," she replied. She looked at her watch. "I had better go back into the other room before the others start worrying that I fell off into oblivion or something." Kei laughed.

"Okay. _Ja ne_, love," she said between giggles and both girls hung up. Yomicha sighed. It wasn't much, but she felt a whole lot better than she had in a long time.

Walking over to the door, Yomicha heard the girls arguing about something. Pressing her ear to the door, Yomicha eavesdropped. She smiled as she realized the conversation was about her.

"I'm telling the truth!" Usagi yelled. "Yomicha-san is a sailor soldier! She's Sailor Capricorn!" Mako snorted.

"Wasn't she the one who was debating whether or not to give you back your chalice?" she asked, her voice as sharp as a dagger. She glared angrily at the table. "What makes you think that you can trust her?"

"She saved my life, didn't she?" Usagi pleaded, falling back against some pillows. She sighed. "If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be with you right now." Mako just crossed her arms and glared at Usagi. Ami took this moment to speak up.

"It's not that we don't trust her," she said slowly. "After all, she is a sailor senshi. And sailor senshi of this solar system protect their princess. But, it's her actions that are debatable. I'm not so sure that we could trust her in a battle. She does things her way." Usagi shook her head, ready to argue again.

"She doesn't!" the petite girl shouted. "Just because it's different to us doesn't mean that it's a wrong way. They just think differently. After all, she and the other two have lifetimes of experience on us." Rei frowned.

"Lifetimes?" she asked skeptically. "I thought we only lived during the Silver Millennium. That was only one lifetime. We didn't have anymore before that, I'm sure of it."

"That's where you're wrong, Lady Mars," a seductive voice said from the doorway. The five senshi and the cats turned around. Yomicha was leaning against the doorframe, staring at them with cool gray eyes. An enticing smile appeared on her face. "The Silver Millennium was a one kingdom of many in a thousand lifetimes. You only remember that one because it was the most recent of all lifetimes. You couldn't remember all those before that unless you had a perfect memory."

"Stay away from Usagi-chan," Minako demanded. "You have no right to harm her." Yomicha's eyes widened a bit.

"I wouldn't hurt her," she said. By the tone of her voice, the other senshi knew she was telling the truth. Another smile appeared on her face. "But it seems that you four can't do much to protect her. Your powers don't seem to be working all that well." The five senshi blushed as they looked down at their hands. Yomicha chuckled a bit. "You don't know why, either." More blushing. "When was the last time you transformed? I mean, before this battle?" Mako looked up.

"When we fought against MagicStar and DreamStar," she said. "That was just a little short of a year ago." Yomicha didn't say anything. Her eyes were going from each of the senshi, examining them. Mako tried staring the girl right in the eye, but couldn't do so. She lowered her head.

"Call the others here," Yomicha finally said. "Your other friends. I would like to talk to them." Usagi nodded. She stood up and walked into the other room.

Weird, Usagi thought as she picked up the phone. _Everyone seems to be so shy around her. It's not like we haven't been around worse. But something about her seems to command our absolute attention...almost as if we had to keep an eye on her...almost as if she were evil..._

, Usagi thought as she picked up the phone. 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sapphire looked at the mirror cynically. The other three were in the room as well. Ruby had locked the door so that no more unwanted visitors would sneak in.

"They don't know what to do with us," Emerald mumbled. She as sitting one the black chair of her vanity. She looked over at Sapphire, who was still staring at the large mirror in the far corner of the room. She was starting to get worried. Sapphire hadn't said a thing during the entire conversation.

Topaz noticed it too. "What do you think Sapphire?" she asked, hoping to attract the girl's attention. There was no response. Sapphire kept staring at the mirror intently, her eyes wide and deep in thought.

"Sapphire?" Ruby prodded.

"What?" The tone was so distant that it took the other three a couple of moments to realize the blue-clad soldier had responded. She looked over at the others. "What did you say?"

Emerald stood up and went to stand by the taller girl's side. Her turquoise eyes were full of worry. "What's wrong? Why have you been acting so secluded lately?" Sapphire just stared at her for a second.

"I'm sorry if it seems so," Sapphire whispered, loud enough for Topaz and Ruby to hear as well. Her voice was troubled as she looked back to the mirror. "I just feel…like something is calling me. And I want to go, but I don't know where I'm supposed to go. It seems that I should know, but my memories won't let me find out where." Emerald nodded.

"It seems the same way for me too," she agreed, resting her head on Sapphire's shoulder. "I hear something…or someone…calling me. But, I can't sense where this call is coming from. I want to know, but I can't." Ruby folded her arms and looked into the mirror as well.

"That's really weird," she said, her crimson eyes looking dark. Her face was etched in concern. "I feel something calling me too. But, I don't doubt it. I know I'm supposed to be doing something other than just sitting here! I'm supposed to be doing something important. Like I'm supposed to be guarding something." Topaz nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same way," she replied, walking up to Sapphire and Emerald. Her violet eyes were sparkling. "And with each calling, I see in my mind's eye something that is supposed to be here, but isn't. I can feel it in my soul. We have to do something. Evil approaches them if we don't help!"

Ruby looked confused. "Them?"

"Yeah. I don't know who they are, but evil is approaching them. If we don't stop it…I don't know. It feels as if I should be trying to stop it because it's my duty or something." Topaz fell silent as the mirror wavered. Her eyes got huge as their images were replaced by another figure. Her hair was golden blonde and held in the most unusual style. She was wearing a long and full white dress with a long train following her. A smaller version of herself, with pink hair instead of golden hair, walked next to her.

For some reason, everyone looked at Ruby. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the pink-haired girl. "Could that be…"

Sapphire stared at the taller figure in the image. "Neo-Queen Serenity and her daughter, Small Lady." The two figures were talking and the four fell silent as they listen to the conversation.

"Mama, how come there are sailor senshi?" the younger one asked. Her mother smiled.

"To protect the solar system, of course," she responded. Her blue eyes were questioning though. "Why do you ask?" The girl shrugged.

"I was just wondering: since the outer senshi are gone, who's gonna protect the outer system?" the girl asked, tugging a pink ponytail. Her mother sighed.

"That, my sweet, I don't know," her mother answered. The image faded away. Topaz frowned.

"That doesn't seem familiar," she whispered. Sapphire rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Does anything these days?" she groaned. Emerald smiled a bit before turning back towards Ruby. The tension was still in the room, but it was lighter than it was. Emerald smiled at Ruby gently.

"You okay?" she asked, touching the taller girl's arm tenderly. Ruby shrugged a bit.

"Nothing a cappuccino can't fix," Ruby said with a grin on her face. The other three laughed as they powered down into their civilian identities. Skylar stuck her tongue out at Zephyr.

"Yuck, I hate cappuccino," she complained. Bunny precisely knocked her upside the head. Skylar moaned and rubbed the back of her head.

"Brat," Bunny mumbled. She got an evil glint in her eye. A smile came across her face. "You will learn how to like cappuccino. And coffee. And tea. And brussel sprouts. And sushi. And you will learn to hate candies and ice cream…"

"Eeek!" Skylar shrieked and ran through the mirror. It rippled slightly before resuming its natural appearance. Bunny erupted in laughter along with Zephyr and Atlantica.

Still laughing, they walked through the mirror. Their giggles lasted long after they were gone.

* * *

Random Author's Note (6-14-05): Looking back on this chapter now, I see that this story had some very good ideas, but unfortunately I was too unskilled as a writer to adequately convey these ideas. Maybe, sometime in the future, I might rewrite all of CosmicStars. One day. 


	13. Episode 231

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 231: The ultimate destiny of the universe. The truths revealed

* * *

"So, what's this all about?" Mamoru asked as Usagi pulled him into the shrine. "You haven't said a thing since you came and pulled me out of my apartment." Usagi grinned.

"You'll see," she said as she brought him into the room the others had met earlier that day. Hogoshi and Chibiusa were already there. Chibiusa was trying to get everyone to play with her paper fortune teller. She was giggling as she read the predictions.

"You will live long and prosper," she laughed at Ami's fortune and ran to try it on Mamoru. "Mamo-chan, pick a number 1-10." Mamoru grinned and saw his girlfriend begin to get jealous.

"Seven."

"Yea!" Chibiusa cheered and moved the fortune teller seven times. She showed him the four numbers. "Pick a number now from what you see." Mamoru scratched his chin. Usagi growled under her breath, sending hazardous glances at Chibiusa.

"How about, let's see, four?"

"No!" Chibiusa yelped. "Pick two!" Mamoru sighed and nodded, but he was smiling. Chibiusa flipped the piece of paper over and laughed at Usagi. "It says, 'Mamo-chan is my boyfriend, not Usagi's.'"

"What?" Usagi screamed and made a lunge at Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl giggled as she climbed up Mamoru's back. "You get off him! He's my boyfriend! Get off of him!" Chibiusa was laughing the entire time, her arms around Mamoru's neck. Usagi made another lunge, but tripped on the paper fortune teller and collided into…

…Seiya. He was just walking through the door with Yaten and Taiki. They had been talking about some music when Usagi ran smack into Seiya, knocking them both to the ground.

"Ow!" Seiya moaned, rubbing the back of his head. "_Odango-atama_-chan! Can't you ever watch where you're going?" Usagi climbed off Seiya and glared at him. She got a very goofy look on her face.

"How many times have I had to tell you: don't call me _odango-atama_!" Usagi screeched. Yaten put a hand over his mouth and tried not to laugh. Taiki just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Seiya just laughed off Usagi's comment, which made the girl even angrier. Yaten burst out laughing, doubling over. Seiya gave him an amused glare.

"Shut up," he said, climbing to his feet. Yaten just kept laughing. Usagi folded her arms, stomped over to her friends, and plopped down next to Minako. Chibiusa laughed at her and it was clear that her other friends were trying not to laugh as well.

"_Minnaaaaa_!" Usagi suddenly cried out, huge baby tears falling from her eyes. "Why. Are. You. So. Mean? Whaaaaaaaa!" Mamoru stared at his girlfriend, but said nothing. He just shook his head sadly.

"What's all the noise about?" a voice asked from behind them. Everyone turned to the door and saw Yomicha coming into the room. Mamoru raised and eyebrow. He stared at Yomicha suspiciously.

"Who are you?" Mamoru asked, standing up. Usagi sensed tension. _Oh, no_! she thought. _Mamo-chan, Seiya, and the others who just got here don't know Yomicha's a girl. Oh man, oh man._

"My name is Kano Yomicha," Yomicha replied smoothly. She walked right up to Mamoru. It was weird. She was almost as tall as he was. "I'm the one who called this meeting." Seiya stared at Yomicha, his arms folded.

"You?" he asked incredulously. His blue eyes were doubtful. "How on earth did you call this meeting?" Yomicha laughed a bit and rested against the wall, looking almost too cool. She sighed a bit.

"You really want to know, huh?" she asked. "You find it strange that a guy would call a sailor senshi meeting when he isn't a sailor senshi himself?" Mamoru and Seiya nodded. The girls were too busy trying not to laugh. Yomicha was really good at this.

"Well, Endymion-sama," she continued slowly and precisely. "This 'guy' would like to inform you that 'she' is a sailor senshi. Sailor Capricorn to be exact." It took two more seconds for the realization to sink in.

"So, you're a girl?" Yaten asked, his face full of surprise. Yomicha nodded, pleased at the shocked reaction. Mamoru's face clouded.

"You're the one who was debating…"

"…whether or not the princess would live," Yomicha interrupted with a sigh. "Yeah. That's me, all right." Chibiusa crossed her arms.

"You were risking two lives, y'know!" she said scornfully. "Usagi-chan is my mom." Yomicha just shook her head and took another deep breath. She looked at each person in the room, straight in the eye. There was an evil glint in her eyes no one liked very much. A beguiling smile appeared on her face as she walked over to Chibiusa.

"And no one knows your mom better than I do," she whispered into the small girl's ear. "And no one knows your Hotaru-chan better than I do." Chibiusa's jaw dropped.

"Y-you know Hotaru-chan?" she gasped. Yomicha simply nodded before backing away. The same smile was still on her face. She crossed her arms.

"I called this meeting for one reason," she said, her gaze wandering across the room. "It seems as though everyone here has a problem with their attacks. They don't seem to be working all that well. In fact, they don't seem to working at all." The group fell silent. A blush spread through each person there. Yomicha laughed a bit.

"I don't know what's causing this power outage," she explained, studying each person intently. "And I don't know how to fix it unless I know the problem. But-" Suddenly, Yomicha stopped talking. She was staring at Hogoshi adamantly. Hogoshi stared back at her, a flush spreading up her neck. Yomicha was very silent before snapping out of her trance.

"Excuse me, but when did this start happening?" she asked, cupping her chin in her hands. "I mean, the power outage?"

"Um, the first time we transformed since a year ago," Rei commented. She looked at Yomicha who was lost in her thoughts. "Why?" Yomicha ignored the question and turned to Seiya.

"You guys showed up during the battle at the ice arena," Yomicha stated, not bothering to ask a question. "Your powers were working then. When did they stop?" Taiki shrugged.

"When we found Usagi-san in that courtyard of the zodiac light," he responded. Yomicha nodded as she looked from one person to the next. A smile crossed her face.

"Kei, you are too much," Yomicha murmured under her breath. She laughed a bit. "When did you guys get those rings?" Mamoru just stared at her. What did that have to do with their power outage?

"Usa-ko gave me, Seiya-kun, Taiki-kun, and Yaten-kun these rings at the picnic," Mamoru noted. "I'm not sure when the girls got theirs."

"We got them from Kei-chan a little before the first battle," Ami said, touching the blue stone on her right ring finger gently. "What does that have to do with anything?" Yomicha grinned.

"Kei is a sailor soldier too," she said. The shocked reactions from the group were good enough for her. "The minute you got those rings, your powers didn't work anymore. That's why Chiba-san and the others' powers worked before they got the rings. The rings, since you're sailor senshi and Kei is a sailor senshi, gathered your power out of your henshin devices and into the stone in the ring. Since none of you transform with the stone, your powers don't work."

"So, how do we fix it?" Usagi asked. She stared at the pink ring on her finger. "Take them off?"

"No!" Yomicha snapped. "That's the last thing you want to do. If you take off those rings, you'll have no chance of getting your powers back." She fell silent for a second. "Have you already found the Holy Grail this lifetime around?"

"Yeah," Mako muttered. "Around two years ago." Yomicha nodded.

"And Sailor Moon used the Holy Grail to go from her regular form to her super form?"

"Yeah."

"Did you know that you could use your rings like the Holy Grail?"

Silence.

"Well?"

"We…had no idea," Mako mumbled. She was pouting. Yomicha just smiled as she looked at the rings on their hands. _There might be a way for their powers to start working again. I just wonder how…_

"Listen, why don't you guys try transforming with the rings instead of the henshin pens?" Yomicha asked. Luna and Artemis looked up in alarm. Transform without the _henshin_ pens?

"Yomicha-san, we've always transformed with the _henshin_ pens," Minako argued, touching her gold and orange henshin pen delicately. "We can't just go from _henshin_ pen to ring because you say so."

"Yeah," Chibiusa agreed, nodding. Her pink pigtails bobbed up and down with each nod. "And what about me and Usagi-chan? We transform with crystals. What are we gonna do about that?" Yomicha just looked at her and then looked at her watch. She had told them what time…

"I'm just saying that your powers are inside the rings now," she said with a sigh. "If you don't want to believe me, that's up to you." There was a shuffle on the other side of the door as Kei and Megumi walked in.

"Geez, MichiMichi-chan," Megumi gasped. Her cheeks were flushed pink as she glared at Yomicha. "Why did you have us rush all the way over here, huh?" She noticed the others in the room and managed a polite smile. "Hello."

"Kei-chan, you're a sailor senshi?" Hogoshi asked. Kei's eyes widened to their maximum extent as she turned to Yomicha. "Which one?" Kei was sending Yomicha murderous glances.

"Sailor Midnight, senshi of sacrifice," Kei muttered. She put her hands on her hips. "Yomicha, how do they know I'm a sailor soldier?" Yomicha didn't even blink an eye.

"I told them," she said. Her slate blue eyes were perilous as she stared sharply at Kei. "We couldn't go any further without telling them anything. It would have been too dangerous for them." Kei couldn't think of anything to say and just looked down at her feet. Megumi looked at the others.

"My soldier title is the senshi of forgiveness, Sailor Scorpio," she said, plopping down next to Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl immediately took up this opportunity.

"Excuse me, why do call me Small Lady?" she asked. Megumi tilted her head to the side a bit, a grin appearing on her face slowly.

"Isn't that what Pu called you?" she asked sweetly. Chibiusa was almost too shocked to say anything. She blinked a couple of times before gathering her nerves together.

"'Pu?'" Chibiusa gasped. "Only I call her that. Pu was my best friend. You can't call her by my nickname for her. And you still haven't answered my question. Why do you call me Small Lady?" Megumi just laughed a bit.

"Because Sailor Pluto is my planetary counterpart," she said. Her green eyes got dark for a second. "I wish I could see her again." Yomicha smiled sadly when Megumi mentioned Sailor Pluto.

"And I'm Sailor Saturn's zodiac counterpart," she added. "That's how I know Hotaru-chan so much." Rei looked up in surprise.

"Counterparts?" she asked. Her rusty violet eyes were deep in thought. "What do you mean by 'counterparts'? Do we have counterparts too?" Yomicha chuckled a bit, shaking her head sadly.

"Yes, each of you do," she said with a smile. She looked down a bit. "I was able to erase the zodiac soldiers' memories of their planetary counterparts so that they wouldn't try to harm you. Unless Sailor Leo comes back, you guys are pretty much home free." Usagi jumped up suddenly.

"Who are our counterparts?" she asked, looking very interested in the conversation.

"Well, your counterpart is Sailor Cancer," Megumi began, sinking into a chair by the door. She looked and felt rather exhausted. "Lady Mercury's counterpart is Sailor Virgo. Sailor Aries is Lady Mars' counterpart. Lady Jupiter, your counterpart is Sailor Sagittarius. Lady Venus' counterpart is Sailor Libra and Prince Endymion's counterpart, even though a girl, is Sailor Leo. Also, Sailor Aquarius is Lady Uranus' counterpart and Sailor Pisces is Lady Neptune's counterpart." At hearing these, Ami sat straight up.

"Wait a second!" she exclaimed. "Each of our counterparts are actually our zodiac signs! I mean, I'm a Virgo and my counterpart is Sailor Virgo." Yomicha nodded.

"Of course," she said tiredly. Somehow, she had become very fatigued. She sank onto the floor next to Megumi's chair. Weird. Where had that come from? Holding in a yawn, she looked up at the other senshi who were busy chatting about the new information. "Just like…their planets are the ones you guard over." Kei had noticed how Megumi and Yomicha had suddenly dropped out of the conversation. She went over to them worriedly.

"Yomicha? Megumi-chan?" she asked, tapping Megumi on the shoulder. The little girl looked up, her eyelids heavy with weariness. She managed a small grin.

"Hey, Kei-chan," she whispered. Kei looked at her, a bit afraid. There was something dark in those green eyes that was almost too evil to comprehend.

"Hey, Megumi-chan," Kei replied softly, stroking the girl's curly red odangos. "Are you okay? You look kind of tired." The evil look in Megumi's eyes turned even darker, but the girl tried to keep her face calm.

"It's okay," she whispered, trying not to scare Kei. She didn't even know what was going on inside them. If she told her, Megumi knew that Kei would be scared out of her wits. "We're fine. Just a bit tired." Kei just nodded as Megumi nodded off and drifted to sleep. She kneeled next to Yomicha, who was still awake.

"Yomicha, are you really okay?" she asked, moving some wisps of silver hair from Yomicha's eye. Yomicha looked up and Kei saw that same evil look in her eyes that was in Megumi's. "I find it kind of weird that both you and Megumi-chan seemed to lose energy at the same time." Yomicha just put two fingers on Kei's lips, silencing her.

"Don't worry so much," Yomicha whispered, trying to smile. "We're okay." But her words betrayed her as a violent cough erupted from her lungs. Her body shook from the stinging forcefulness of it. Usagi and the others looked up in alarm.

"Yomicha-san?" Usagi asked, looking at the silver-haired girl anxiously. Her blue eyes were full of concern as she also looked at Megumi and Kei, who had a stricken look of horror on her face. "What's going on? Are you all right?" Yomicha was silent, but felt sick to her stomach. A terrible feeling of dread washed over her as she looked into Kei's eyes.

No. Not now, Yomicha silently begged. _Not now. Not with the princess here. Any place other than here! Why does this always happen...why must we always fight to keep our past a secret...no. I won't tell her. Even if I have to lie. This might not be the lifetime. Maybe I can give them more time...I'll have to lie. Please, princess, forgive me._

, Yomicha silently begged. 

Another cough erupted from her lungs, this time shocking her. Yomicha snatched her hand out of Kei's and covered her mouth as she coughed brutally. Her lungs were burning as if they were on fire as the cough incinerated her throat. She could feel her blood boiling inside her and tried to keep calm. Dark, black rage burned in front of her watery eyes as the coughing fits became even worse than before.

"Yomicha!" Kei screeched, grabbing the girl in panic. Usagi stood up like a bullet as she ran over to the trio. The other senshi looked on in horror. Usagi kneeled next to Yomicha, who was shaking profusely from each cough.

"Yomicha-san!" Usagi gasped, holding out her hands. Her blue eyes had gone from concern to stricken panic. "Yomicha-san! Answer me!" The silver-haired girl was silent as she looked over at Usagi. The petite blonde gasped. Yomicha's eyes had become jet black instead of the soothing slate blue they usually were. "Yomicha-san! What's wrong?"

Kei was staring at her lover in horror. What had happened? Just seconds earlier, Yomicha was her old, charming self, teasing her as usual. Then, she had become tired and suddenly had gone into this spasm thing. What was it? Tears were spilling down her cheeks as she tried to get Yomicha to respond. What was going on?

The other senshi were staring at the four girls in shock. Rei was studying them. She clasped her hands together and made some motions with her hands, trying to get some sense one what was happening. Her eyes suddenly snapped open as she stared at Yomicha in shock.

"Evil spirits!" Rei shouted. She stood up, pulling out a strip of paper from her shirt pocket. She held it up in the air and began concentrating. "_Aku ryo tai san_!" she yelled, throwing the strip of paper at Yomicha.

Yomicha saw the flimsy piece of paper come hurdling at her, a confused look on her face. Suddenly, she burst out into a pernicious laughter that didn't even seem human. Kei backed away in horror as Yomicha's eyes turned from jet black to blood red. They glowed with an evil aura before the piece of paper burned from the intensity of the glare.

"Usa-ko!" Mamoru shouted, snatching his girlfriend away from the now dangerous girl. Usagi's blue eyes were widening with each passing second. She looked at Kei and then back at Yomicha was now practically vibrating with the negative energy. In fact, she looked like a demon. Her eyes were as black as the universe. A black sign glowed brightly on her forehead. Her hair had grown longer to its original extent and hairstyle, the silver strands streaming wildly across her face.

"What happened to her?" Mako asked, looking quiet scared as the figure rose to her feet. The black eyes were still on Usagi, who was now holding Mamoru in fright. Kei even backed away herself, as pale as a sheet of paper.

The demon stood up, the darkness around her growing. She looked over to Usagi and there was a hint of emotion in her eyes. Her face was etched in pain. "Princess," she whispered, her voice still the same. "I'm sorry it has come to this." She lowered her head and then looked over to Megumi. Gently, she shook the girl, waking her up. Megumi groaned a bit and stirred in her sleep before waking up.

"Huh…who woke me…geez, try and get some sleep," Megumi started, but then looked at the creature which had woken her up. She stared up at the demon in shock. "Yomicha-san!" she breathed. Tears welled up in her eyes, which were as black as Yomicha's. "We can't tell them." Yomicha's face looked full of regret.

"I won't," she whispered and turned back to the shocked group. She held out her hand and a dark orb appeared in it. But in a few seconds, the orb was as white as Usagi's silver crystal. "We haven't been exactly honest with anyone here," she stated as the white orb shone brightly. "We are, in fact, Pluto and Saturn's zodiac counterparts. But what you don't know is who we really and truly are. Our true forms." With that, she closed her eyes.

For the first time, the senshi saw that a dark orange sign was glowing on Megumi's forehead. The little girl sighed deeply. _Don't tell them about their true past, my friend...it deserves to be locked and buried...maybe you're right...maybe this lifetime isn't the one...good luck, Sailor Capricorn._

The white orb seemed to be the only light in the room. Chibiusa had rushed over to her future parents and was holding them tight. The other senshi were staring in absolute horror as the darkness seemed to envelop them.

"Revelation Façade!"

Suddenly, the darkness erupted in a flash of white light as the orb seemed to spread across the horizon. The shrine disappeared as the senshi found themselves floating motionlessly in the darkness. There was no light whatsoever. Yomicha and Megumi were gone.

"W-What just happened here?" Hogoshi asked, floating uncomfortably upside down. She struggled to right herself, but found it physically impossible. "What happened with those two, Kei?" Kei shrugged, although she knew no one could see her in the blackness.

"I don't know," she lied. Her voice was shaking. "They were very mysterious from the start and never told me much about themselves. All I know about them are their ages and their senshi identities. Not much else." Chibiusa was gripping Mamoru and Usagi's hands tighter then she ever had before.

"This is scary," she whimpered. "Where are we?"

"All questions can be answered," a voice replied through the darkness, "if you just look inside your hearts, in which all answers are held."

"Is this some kind of riddle?" Yaten snapped. "This is not the time nor the place to be solving riddles."

"Transform," another voice echoed voicelessly. "Using your rings and _henshin_ devices, transform. Call out the words of your destiny." Usagi was very quiet as she considered what Yomicha had said earlier about their rings. If it was true…

Letting go of her lover and future child's hands, she grasped the eternal brooch on her chest. Then she touched the ring on her right ring finger. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she let the silver crystal's power run through her blood stream. It was always an amazing power in her eternal form, but this was new. It was more powerful then she had ever felt.

Call out the words of your destiny…

Usagi's eyes snapped open as the light of the silver crystal drew back the darkness. "Moon eternal cosmos power, make UP!" she called out. The crystal on her brooch was shining even more brightly than it ever had before as she powered up into a new senshi form. Silver and pink ribbons enveloped her body, forming a beautiful new sailor fuku.

As she pulled herself into her final eternal pose, Usagi couldn't help thinking that this power was always in her heart, ready to be used.

"Usagi-chan!" Minako cried out. The darkness was gone, driven out by the light of the silver crystal. They all looked at Sailor Moon in awe. It was the basic eternal fuku design, but something was different. The golden moon birthmark on her forehead shone more like it did in the Silver Millennium. Her wings were white with silver feathers embedded in them. Her three skirts were shiny satin instead of the old fabric it was made out of. The locket on her chest was metallic. The earrings and pendant on her red velvet choker seemed to be made out of pure gold. The back pink bow trailed down to her knees.

"Oh, _sagoi_!" Sailor Moon yelped as she examined her outfit. "This is so awesome! I've never felt so powerful before." Taking a glance at the silver crystal, her smile grew wider. "And the silver crystal has a new shine to it. This is so totally cool!" The other senshi looked at each other, trying not to smile. Well, if the princess said that the power was fresh and new, there as no reason for them not to transform.

Pulling out their henshin pens and linking them with their rings, the inner senshi looked at each other and took a couple of deep breaths.

"Mercury crystal cosmos power…"

"Mars crystal cosmos power…"

"Jupiter crystal cosmos power…"

"Venus crystal cosmos power…"

"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"

"…make UP!" There were five flashes of glittery light as the five senshi were enveloped in power. They could feel their own realm of power running rapidly through their bodies. With an energetic effort, the inner senshi pulled themselves into their respective poses.

Sailor Venus' jaw dropped. "Amazing," she murmured, taking a glance at her improved sailor outfits. The skirts of the inner senshi were made of the same satin of Sailor Moon's skirts. The bows in the back and front were the same color, but seemingly glittery like there were stars embedded in it. The star pendants on their satin chokers were made of pure gold. The heart-shaped brooches on their front bows were metallic as well. The tiara gems were sparkly as well, with the faint signs of their planet glowing in them.

"Hey, that's no fair!" Chibiusa whined. "No one waited for me." Taking out her locket, she put her ring on the pink crystal inside. "Chibi moon crystal cosmos power, make UP!" There was a faint shine, but other than that, nothing happened. Chibiusa looked a bit cross as she gripped her locket firmly. A frown crossed her face. "How come mine doesn't work?"

Sailor Moon sighed and floated over to her. She looked at the pink crystal a bit and then at the ring. "Hmm, we both have the same rings, but you never used a crystal transformation before. Try using a 'crisis' transformation phrase. If that doesn't work, use what I said." Chibiusa nodded and tried again.

"Moon crisis cosmos power, make UP!" she called out. There was a huge flash of pink light. Super Sailor Chibi Moon suddenly appeared from the light, grinning wildly. "Thanks Sailor Moon!" Her own outfit still resembled her super form. The bow on the back was transparent now. The white part of her skirt was still made of the same fabric, but the pink and yellow strips running along the bottom were made of satin. The pink brooch on her red bow was metallic as well. The moon earrings and pendant on her pink velvet choker were gold, shining brightly.

"Our turn," Seiya whispered, pulling out the star locket in his pants pocket. He turned to his other two friends. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Taiki replied, placing the blue gem on the ring on the surface of his locket.

"Fighter star cosmos power…"

"Maker star cosmos power…"

"Healer star cosmos power…"

"…make UP!"

A few seconds later, the Sailor Starlights were in the soldiers' midst. Their outfits hadn't changed much, Healer noticed that with much relief. Only a gorgeous touch up on their appearance made them appear as if they were part of Serenity's court too.

Tuxedo Kamen also appeared. He was virtually the same. Eternal Sailor Moon cheered at his appearance and wrapped her arms around him. Not to be outdone, Chibi Moon followed, clinging to Tuxedo Kamen's leg tightly. The handsomely dressed young man staggered for a second as his future wife and daughter clung to him determinedly.

"Do our powers work?" Jupiter asked, making a fist. "If it doesn't, appearance won't really do us good in a battle." Venus shook her head and struck a pose.

"Uh-uh, the enemy might think we're so _kawaii_ they won't even bother attacking us," she said. "After all, we are called the pretty soldiers of love and justice." With that, she got prepared to throw an attack. "Venus Love Me Chain!" A golden heart-linked chain appeared in her hand, glowing with a new orange light. Venus' face lit up. "All right!"

"Let me try!" Chibi Moon yelled as the Chibi Moon Kaleidoscope appeared in her hand. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" The tip of the kaleidoscope glittered with sugary white light and a heart snapped out of nowhere. "Yeeeea!"

"Do we think we have any new attacks?" Mercury asked. The others shrugged as a silvery giggle dawned from the white light. The others looked around in alarm and bewilderment. They knew that laugh.

"Do you have any idea where you are, my fellow sailor senshi?" the soft, tinkling voice asked. The two moon soldiers clung to Tuxedo Kamen even tighter. There was something in that voice that neither of them liked too much.

Suddenly, the bright white light was gone, leaving behind the black, infinite darkness. But something was very different about the second darkness then there was the first. It seemed sweeter and much more welcoming. The sailor senshi spun around in awe as they took in their new surroundings.

The entire landscape had a bluish-black tint to it. The ground seemed to be made of mirrors because they reflected the star studded night sky. The sky was a gorgeous velvet black color, with the planets hanging around like they belonged there. A thin, bluish fog was rising from ground, swirling around the soldiers' ankles. The only things strange about it were that the planets were almost too close together and that there was no sun. A shooting star fell near the planet Venus and landed somewhere beyond the horizon.

"Oh my goodness," Kei breathed. She was the only one not in a senshi form. Her large red eyes were reflecting the glowing diamond-like stars in the sky. She put her hand to her mouth. "Where on earth are we?" Jupiter chuckled a bit.

"We're not on Earth, that's for sure," she said, pointing to a massive blue and green planet floating above them. "Because that is the Earth." Kei's jaw dropped as she looked around at each of the planets.

"Look, there's the moon!" Chibi Moon exclaimed, pointing to a pearl looking object orbiting Earth. "I've never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life." The others nodded in agreement.

"Fellow senshi, do you have any idea where you are?" the same tinkling voice asked. A tall, silhouetted figure stepped into the horizon, surrounded by a bluish-violet aura. It walked towards them with a slightly suggestive hint in her step. "This is no ordinary place created in the middle of the solar system."

"Gee, ya think?" Mars snapped. Her tone seemed a bit out of place in the serene universe. She softened her tone a bit. "Of course not. I can feel it with every pore in my being. We're not really even in our universe."

"That is very correct, Lady Mars," the figure replied, bowing ever so slightly. A smile flashed across her face as a slight wind lifted the silver hair around the young woman's face. "You have actually gone through a hyperspace gate."

"A hyperspace gate?" Mercury gasped, recognition shining onto her face. She caught Jupiter's eye. _Too easy_, she thought turning back to the figure.

"As you might know," the figure said, pointing to herself, "I'm Lady Capricorn, soldier of discipline. What you don't know about us had always remained hidden in each lifetime. We might have been telling you lies and we might've not. It's up to you to judge the truth." She waved her hand above her head. She came into clear view then, her soft gray eyes shining oddly. Her sailor outfit was completely black, except for the blue bows and the two rows of blue piping on her sailor collar. "This is the ultimate destiny of the universe. Each sailor senshi is made up of their own heart and soul. It started way back in the beginning of time."

"Yomicha?" Kei asked, looking around. Lady Capricorn turned to the violet-haired girl, her slate blue eyes suddenly sharp as she glared at her.

"You wanted to know your past and the revelations," Capricorn said, her voice as smooth as silk. But barely restrained evil was hiding in that gorgeous voice. "And you will find out. But what you do know can hurt you." With that, she turned around.

"This is the universe you were born to, the only one you've ever known and will ever know," Capricorn continued, looking up at the planets. "Each of you were born under your own planet. Let me start back at the beginning of time. Way at the beginning, there was a perfect universe. The pure energies were keeping the evil energies in check. The most powerful item of the waking universe and pure energy was the _ginzuishou_, the imperial silver crystal." The planets in the universe disappeared as a shooting star landed behind Capricorn. It was an image of the silver crystal. After a second, the silver crystal disappeared in a shower of white sparks.

"Everything seemed perfect because the silver crystal kept giving strength to the universe. But unfortunately, the silver crystal was not strong enough to keep giving power solo. So, out of the entire pure, waking universe," the planets reappeared, "nine senshi were chosen to protect the silver crystal. Each one of them was chosen from a different planet that held different powers." Nine silhouettes appeared from behind Capricorn, each glowing with a different aura. "You see, each planet had its own special power. Mercury, the first planet, had the power of ice." Snow and bubbles encircled the first figure with a light blue aura. "The second planet, Venus, had the power of love and beauty." Golden hearts wrapped around the figure with an orange aura. "The third planet from the sun, Earth, had the power of the wind and sky." A strong gust of wind blew around the figure with a golden aura. "The fourth planet, Mars, held the power of fire." A wall of flames enveloped the figure with a bright red aura. "The fifth planet, Jupiter, had the power of electricity." A huge burst of green electricity exploded from beneath the figure that held a green aura. "This planet was the beginning of the five outer planets. It made more sense that at least one of the outer soldiers would protect the silver crystal than none so Sailor Jupiter became part of the inner planet soldiers."

Capricorn turned to the others allowing this to sink in. The four inner senshi stared at the four figures that were entitled to their planet names. Capricorn smiled a bit, her slate blue eyes glowing. "Those five senshi would protect the silver crystal." Sailor Moon frowned a bit. What about her?

"What about me, Capricorn?" she asked, tugging a blonde pigtail worriedly. "I thought that I was the owner of the silver crystal. How come I wasn't mentioned?" Capricorn giggled a bit.

"Oh, don't worry," she said with a reassuring smile on her face. "We will get around to you. But I must finish the rest of the story first." She turned back to the nine figures. "The remaining four senshi would protect the inner planet senshi from outside invaders. Those four would possess stronger powers than any of the inner senshi. They would be Uranus, the planet with the power of earth." A golden globe surrounded by rocks spun around the figure with a dark blue aura. "Neptune, with the power of water." A huge column of turquoise water rose around a figure with an aqua aura. "Pluto, with power over time and death." A dark cloud spread around the figure with a black aura. "And the planet with the power over silence and health, Saturn." A deathly looking beam shot from behind the last figure with a purple aura. The purple beam was soon covered in a black mist. "These were the legendary soldiers of love and justice."

The figures suddenly disappeared as a new person walked up, covered in a pink and white light. The figure was holding the silver crystal in her hands. "There was only one problem. None of the sailor planets were able to control the silver crystal, which was quickly losing its power. So, it was realized that a sailor planet could not control the silver crystal since each planet was equal. Not even Venus or Uranus, the two senshi leaders, could control the silver crystal. The silver crystal sought out an owner on its own, a girl with the purest and most innocent soul in the entire universe." The girl standing behind Capricorn raised the silver crystal in the air and shouted something. "She was the soldier from the only moon of the Earth. Her name was Sailor Moon." Sailor Moon smiled. That was more like it.

"The silver crystal soon became an object of power, with no more will," Capricorn explained as the nine other figures appeared behind the girl holding the silver crystal. "These ten became known as the planetary sailor senshi. They were able to keep peace within the posiverse…but not for very long. The sudden change in the positive universe caused a direct hit to black energies. With more power suddenly exerted in the waking universe, the dark energy became something akin to jealous of the power. So very slowly, they started sending dark energy into the pure universe. The darkness grew to an overwhelming extent, more powerful then anyone even imagined."

The sailor senshi stared in dread at the sudden absence of light in the gate. The ten figures standing behind Capricorn were swallowed up by the darkness. Even the light of the silver crystal was gone. The darkness soon covered every star and planet in the gate. Capricorn shook her head sadly at the soldiers' stricken faces. "The white universe was suddenly caught up in a battle with an enemy that was a thousand times stronger than they had ever imagined. The sailor planets tried as best as they could to divert the evil energies into a separate universe…but to no avail."

A sudden violent explosion sounded through the gate, knocking all the senshi to the mirrored ground, which reflected the scene above them. The sky was ablaze in fire and smoke and darkness. Just the intensity of the clouds burned the soldiers' eyes with tears. Sailor Moon looked away, tears spilling down her cheeks. Capricorn was silent for a second as she looked up at the sky that was still glowing like an ember.

"The light of hope was beaten," she said slowly. Nine figures suddenly appeared behind her as the other senshi struggled to stand up. Their faces and any other part of their body that might give them away were completely hidden in darkness. The figures were lying on the ground, not moving at all. "It seemed as though it was all over. The black energies had surely won." There was a flash of white light behind the bodies. A girl holding the silver crystal walked up to each of the fallen senshi. "But, the soldier of love and justice was still alive. Using the last ounce of her energy and the full potential of the silver crystal, she drove back the negative forces into its own universe in another dimension." The glowing figure stood up, shouted something, and the energy of the silver crystal was released. It was brighter than anything any of the senshi had ever seen, brighter even than the sun itself. The light dimmed down suddenly and the figure holding the silver crystal collapsed to the ground.

Capricorn turned to the other senshi, a look of cold emotion in her eyes. "It was over. And each senshi had sacrificed themselves in order that life could continue. The pure universe had suffered many casualties, but none as tragic as the loss of the sailor senshi." She turned back to the figures. The brooches on the dead bodies glowed a bit and then emitted gorgeous lights, covering each body. "It was over. For then." The bodies slowly disappeared in showers of sparks. Capricorn turned to the other senshi. The soldiers of this solar system were crying silently. Even the Sailor Starlights were moved by the actions of the sailor senshi from the past.

Capricorn shook her head sadly, her silver hair spilling in waves down her shoulder. "Each of the sailor senshi had died, protecting their planets and each other to the very last struggle. The only thing left of any of them was the silver crystal, which had lost its shine." The silver crystal, which had been on the past Sailor Moon's chest, clattered to the ground. "It would be another one thousand years before the silver crystal regained its shine."

"Sailor Capricorn," Sailor Moon whispered in a heartbroken voice. "Why are you showing us this?" Capricorn stared back into the large blue eyes, which were now torn in grief.

"You must know the truth about the sacrifice and where everyone here actually comes from," she whispered. "After the first lifetime ended so terribly, it was sure that another would arise. The sailor soldiers' souls were reborn into different bodies than their firsts. The first soldier, Sailor Moon, awoke as a sailor senshi fourteen years after she was born. Her memories of the past were revived by the will of the silver crystal, which was put into a cat named Luna." A girl with two _odango_s and long blonde pigtails appeared, holding a black cat in her arms. "The senshi had unconsciously remade themselves in appearance."

"Later, her four senshi guardians were awakened," Capricorn continued as four sailor senshi appeared behind the blonde girl, who had transformed. "They became the sailor leader's closest friends. The outer senshi were also reborn and regained the memories of their past. They also became good friends of the sailor leader. Only one senshi did not awaken and that was the senshi of Earth. At least, it was assumed that she didn't awaken. So another soldier of earth was found. Even though a man, he was assigned to be Sailor Moon's bodyguard." A tall, new figure walked up behind the imaged Sailor Moon and wrapped his arms around her as a shower of roses fell around them. "His name was Tuxedo Kamen."

"After the guardian of time, Sailor Pluto, realized what had happened in their past lifetime, she set it up that each senshi would live out a thousand year life span and then die, except for her. She would be immortal, watching the Gates of Time for all eternity. As guardian of time, she had to make sure that the senshi were reborn and regained their memories." Capricorn sounded a bit choked up as she looked at a lone figure that suddenly appeared. She was holding a silver staff that resembled a key. "Well, it was very peaceful during those first 100 lifetimes. The people loved Sailor Moon so much, she was declared Queen of the white energies while the other senshi were declared princesses of their own planets." The senshi, all ten, reappeared behind Capricorn in their royal garments. "The pure universe was still a bit battered from the attack in the first lifetime. Using their powers, the sailor senshi began to rebuild their own universe."

Sailor Mercury cupped her chin in her hand. "Exactly how many lifetimes are there?" Capricorn smiled.

"1,102," she said, smiling. "I was born in Sailor Moon's hundredth lifetime." With that, Capricorn waved her hand above her head. The sailor senshi looked up and saw the signs of the zodiac glowing above their heads. "During the hundredth lifetime, the dark energies began to rip from their own universe back into ours. The pure universe was still battered from the attack one hundred thousand years since then and were caught by surprise by the sudden forcefulness of the attack." Ten figures appeared behind Capricorn. Darkness rose up from the night sky and began to cover the stars. "The leader of the invasion, a demon with the powers from the sign of Cancer, decided to lead an attack inside the sailor senshi. So each soldier was drawn into a battle within themselves." The darkness plunged towards the sailor planets, completely concealing them. The silver crystal fell to the ground.

Capricorn shook her head. "The demon was surprised by all the pure energies in the soldiers' bodies and had to back out after a long and costly battle." The darkness emerged from the soldiers' bodies and the exhausted senshi collapsed to the ground. Capricorn shook her head. "The dark universe once again took its toll. They had gathered tremendous power from the sailor soldiers and from there, the zodiac senshi were created." The darkness split into ten separate parts as ten more figures appeared. Then ten dark parts surged into the new figures bodies and they glowed with a dark and evil aura. "The sailor planets, as you know, are Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Tuxedo Kamen. The zodiac senshi became known as Cancer, Virgo, Libra, Aries, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Scorpio, and Leo." The senshi faced off, but Sailor Moon stepped forward, grabbed the silver crystal and blasted the zodiac senshi back. The figures disappeared all of a sudden. Sailor Saturn, Sailor Pluto and Sailor Moon stood before them.

"Hotaru-chan! Pu!" Chibi Moon cried, her red eyes lighting up a bit. She smiled as she looked at Capricorn. "Your counterparts?" Capricorn nodded as Saturn raised her Silence Glaive.

"The planetary sailor senshi were able to force the dark zodiac senshi back to the brim of the gate where they had emerged from," Capricorn whispered sadly. "But, suddenly, the zodiac senshi let out a huge blast of power, killing many people. We physically slaughtered hundreds of people with our own hands. The planetary sailor senshi tried to fight back, but we had the same powers as they did. Saturn didn't want to use her Death Reborn Revolution because in doing so, the planetary sailor senshi would die and the zodiac senshi would be reborn. There were thousands of losses, including the soldiers' own personal families." A battlefield appeared. The sky was stormy and rainy, a bolt of lightning occasionally lighting up the gory battle scene. Bloodied and burned bodies were scattered all over the place. "Finally, I took it upon myself to completely get rid of all the senshi. Like Saturn, I had an ultimate attack that would destroy an entire world. It's called Final Ruin."

The scene behind Capricorn changed. Sailor Pluto and Sailor Capricorn were facing off. Pluto seemed very battered, using her staff to support herself. "Pluto was the only planet soldier left after I used Final Ruin, since she had been watching the time gate the moment I used it. I could tell she would hate me forever for what I did. We fought for a while, but it was clear I was winning. Sailor Scorpio showed up also, in hopes of destroying her planetary counterpart." A tall young woman with Megumi's hairstyle appeared next to the evil Sailor Capricorn. Sailor Mars' jaw dropped.

"The Sailor Scorpio I know looks unmistakably like a little girl," she said, staring at the gorgeous young woman in the black and red sailor _fuku_. Capricorn nodded.

"She is," she stated simply before turning back to the image. "Both Scorpio and I had the strongest powers of all the zodiac senshi. But, Pluto still had the power over time. Right when I was about to use my complete Final Ruin, Pluto stopped time. At the risk of her own life, she was able to pause time long enough for Sailor Moon and the others to regain their senses. But, it was too late for Sailor Pluto." In the image, Pluto raised her time key, the garnet tip glowing brightly. Capricorn and Scorpio stared in horror, realizing that their body parts no longer functioned at all. The sailor senshi began stirring and began to recover. The garnet orb on the time key stopped glowing and Pluto collapsed to the ground. Sailor Moon called out something as the other senshi rushed to their fallen ally. "Sailor Moon was more sad for us than she was angry." Saturn walked up to Sailor Capricorn. They held conversation for a long while. Scorpio looked a bit disgusted, but Sailor Moon began talking to her. Sailor Moon suddenly brought out her silver crystal and held it out. There was a blinding flash of light.

Capricorn turned back to the senshi. "You guys had something that we never ever felt before. There was that love between all of you that was stronger than anything we had ever felt." She looked down for a second. "Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn cast their powers to revive Sailor Pluto, but I knew she'd never be able to forgive me. She'd hate me forever. And I also knew that Uranus and Neptune would never be able to forgive me either." There was an image of the three oldest outer senshi. Sailor Jupiter looked at Capricorn quizzically.

"What did you do to those two?" she asked. Capricorn turned her back to them, looking at the image.

"I personally killed their families right in front of them, and they could do nothing to stop it," she whispered. "And that's not even the worst of it. Even after all that had happened, the zodiac senshi were still on a rampage. The only way to close the gate between the white universe and the black universe was to get an energy powerful enough to seal the gate back for at least a thousand years. So that meant that a sailor soldier would have to die. Sailor Moon painstakingly chose out of all the people a girl with an innocent soul that rivaled hers. She would be called the soldier of sacrifice, Sailor Midnight."

A girl with curly violet hair stepped forward, holding a scepter looking object in her hand. Kei's eyes got wide.

"That's me," she breathed. She looked at the scepter in the girl's hand. "What's that?" Capricorn smiled a bit as the image disappeared.

"That is the taboo talisman that we've been looking for," she said softly, turning back to the planet and starlight senshi. "On the tip of the scepter is an orb which will hold your soul. In order for the revelation to be complete, the time gate needs to be open to the black universe. You have to do a combination attack that includes the silver crystal and the talisman. With that gone, the white universe is safe for the rest of that lifetime." Taking a deep breath, Capricorn waved her arm again. A tiny, pink-haired girl appeared.

"This is the Neo-Moon Princess," she said tiredly. "She was such like her mother, with a pure and innocent soul, she was given power also to become a sailor soldier so that in case the Queen died, her daughter would be able to use the silver crystal. This cycle will continue until time dies out in the end." The silver-haired girl fell silent then, allowing the new information to sink in.

Capricorn then turned to them and walked over to Sailor Moon. In an elegant bow, she kneeled before the blonde girl.

"You have seen my past now," Capricorn whispered. "You've seen what I was, a monster that would destroy on a whim. Three of your soldiers lives were completely altered by my actions. I can only hope that you can forgive me. And it doesn't matter because I already known my place to stand, and that's in this universe. That's the ultimate truth and the ultimate destiny of the universe." She saw all the senshi nod their heads and bit down on her tongue.

I'm sorry sailor senshi, princess, she thought. _But until I'm for sure this is that lifetime, I cannot tell you the real story. Please...accept this for now and enjoy your lives. I'm sorry_.

, she thought. .

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Random author's notes: In case no one understood Yomicha's last statement - that entire story was a lie, created just to satisfy the sailors' questions. Don't take it as the truth. 


	14. Episode 232

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

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Episode 232: Lasting friendships! Enter, the mysterious new senshi

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"That was really weird," Bunny murmured, brushing her soft sandy blonde hair out of her eyes. She looked out the window, frowning a bit. "I don't know where that came from." Atlantica looked up.

"Where what came from?" she asked, looking out the window. She sipped some of the peach tea she had ordered. Swallowing, she looked out the window. "I don't see anything." Bunny just shrugged.

"Never mind then," she said, the frown still on her face. "I guess I wasn't really paying much attention." Skylar smiled, holding her hot chocolate with both hands. She and Bunny had long ago come to the agreement that she could have hot chocolate as long as she didn't have any cake.

"Bunny-mama," she said slowly, her violet eyes mischievously. "You should pay more attention to things." Bunny glared at her, but chuckled a bit. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed a bit.

"I want to do something other than just sit here," she said, her aqua eyes a bit distant. "I just want to escape my problems and leave them behind." Atlantica got the same look in her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling.

"Me too," she whispered. "But I can't explain why."

Zephyr was very quiet, stirring her tea with a spoon. Her burnt-cherry colored eyes were deep in thought. "What are we going to do?" she breathed. Her three friends looked up at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Skylar asked, turning to the older girl. Zephyr shook her head, looking fairly depressed.

"We've been going this way and that, trying to figure out which is the right course to take," she said, her voice dark. She looked up for a second, a timeless look in her eyes. "So far, we have no idea who on earth we really are or where we even come from. We are wrapped up in this battle inside ourselves. And in this battle, we are losing because we can't half figure out what we're supposed to be doing."

"You are so right," Bunny growled. She slammed her fist on the table. "I'm tired of sitting around and doing nothing! We can't spend all of our time worrying about the 'what-ifs'! We have to start thinking past the 'what-ifs' and into what we need to do. If anything is going to be done, it has to be done now!" Atlantica looked at Bunny worriedly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But where do we start?" she asked, her turquoise eyes looking very distressed.

"With Usagi-chan, I guess," Bunny answered with a sigh. "However, it seems that after the little stunt we pulled, those friends of hers won't let us within a looking distance of her." Skylar shrugged.

"Don't say that," she said. "That little pink-haired girl seems to think she can trust me." Bunny just shrugged, looking up at the ceiling again. She was frowning.

"Trust," she muttered. Rolling her eyes, she looked down at her coffee. "What a concept." Taking a deep breath, she struggled not to let frustration enter her voice. There were some things that she needed to find out on her own. But nothing would be accomplished if no one worked together.

"So, what do we do from here?" Zephyr murmured, folding her hands together. An odd smile crossed her face. "At this moment, I'd rather be dead then dealing with problems like this."

"That's funny," Atlantica murmured. "I'd never considered you saying something like that." The four young women became silent as they all thought about how on earth to repair their already shattered lives. The truth of what was really going on was getting to all of them. It was scaring them, the way they didn't know anything. It couldn't just be amnesia. It had to be something else that was keeping them from remembering everything.

Skylar suddenly buried her face in her hands. She let out a whimper before crying outright. The other three looked at her, wanting to comfort her. But they couldn't think of anything to say and just sank into more silence.

"I just want to go home," Skylar whispered. "I just want to go home."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cancer slumped down in a chair, looking very bored. She sighed a bit, glancing over at her fellow zodiac senshi. "This is so boring," she muttered as Sailor Leo tried fixing the computer. She turned to Virgo, who was silently chewing on some bubble gum. "Isn't this boring?"

"Would you stop complaining?" Aries suddenly snapped. Cancer stuck out her tongue. Aries stuck hers out as well. Sagittarius rolled her eyes as she sat back in her seat.

"Would you two please act your age?" she groaned. Libra nodded in agreement. "Both of you are seventeen. Act like it! One of you has to be more mature." Both Aries and Cancer turned bright red. Aquarius laughed a bit.

"Two peppermints," she murmured. "How cute." The blushing went even redder.

"We don't look alike!" Aries and Cancer said at the same time. They looked at each other and, continuing to speak in unison, replied, "Stop it! Don't repeat everything I say! Oh be quiet! Ugh!"

Sailor Leo rolled her eyes as she typed some more information into the computer. A grin spread across her face. "You guys are the worst bunch of bad guys I have ever seen."

"Yes, that explains it," a voice said from across the room. A girl walked over to the zodiac senshi who tried their best to look humble. Her green eyes were sharp as she strode over to Sailor Leo, her long black hair tied in a ponytail. "What are you doing?" Sailor Leo stared at her, an innocent look on her face.

"I am currently updating some files in this computer for the zodiac senshi," she said sweetly, though the harmless blue eyes were hazardous. "They seem to have forgotten what their planetary counterparts look like." The princess simply stared at her.

"Do as you must, but remember...I'm the zodiac princess. You will do as I say," she said sharply. "Where are the crystal senshi?" Sailor Leo rolled her eyes.

"You tell us," she replied, continuing to type furiously into the computer. The princess glared at her, but Leo didn't change her tone. "We went looking for them and it seems as though they aren't here."

The princess grabbed Leo's wrist suddenly. "You, my dear, are on dangerous grounds if you continue speaking to me in such a matter. I can have you killed! I'm the..." Leo just shrugged.

"Zodiac princesss...yeah, yeah, I know," she replied, taking the moment to glare at the princess. " I've always been on dangerous grounds with you. Ever since I left. I just wish you would just stop breathing down my neck and get out of my life." The princess' cheeks turned as red as apples. She quickly covered up her embarrassment as she turned to the other zodiac senshi.

"Find the taboo talisman or else your necks will be on the line," she hissed. With that, she stormed out of the room. Pisces groaned as she looked over at Leo, who had just shrugged and gone back to typing on the computer.

"Now you've gotten us in trouble again," she mumbled. Wrapping her arms around Aquarius, she sent Leo deadly glances. "Why do you have to be so smart in the mouth?" Leo just winked at her.

"'Cause you guys are too chicken to do it yourselves," she said with a laugh in her voice. With that, she turned back to the computer. It beeped twice. "There we go! Looks like this little computer of yours has dug up some pretty decent information on your counterparts." The seven senshi stood up and rushed over to Leo. The screen was black, listing a number of files on the planetary senshi.

"Where should we start?" Libra asked, looking at the numerous files. Leo grinned a bit, using the keypad as an arrow.

"How about this one?" she asked. "It includes the profiles of each of the senshi, statistics, status reports, other necessary information. Unfortunately, no pictures." There was a pause. Leo looked at the screen in interest. "I take that back, there are pictures. But it'll take another moment to upload the pictures."

Another moment of silence. "This is very interesting. Look at this profile report on Sailor Moon. Seems as if her power is linked to that little silver crystal she carries around. It is directly linked to her life. If the crystal is destroyed then the sailor leader dies. If the sailor leader dies, bye-bye crystal. Interesting concept." Cancer rolled her eyes.

"Any interesting information?" she asked. Leo glanced sharply at her before turning back to the computer.

"Let's see. How about the status reports? This might tell us exactly who we're up against. Wait a sec. This file is still downloading from another file report. What's up with that?" Leo's gloved fingers flew across the board at amazing speed. Her eyes remained locked on the computer. "Okay. Let's check you out."

The file opened, revealing numerous information on each of the senshi. Still, there weren't any pictures. Cancer expressed her delight in a muttered groan. Leo typed continuously on the keyboard. Her blue eyes were lighting up. "Look here! This here shows the classification of the planetary senshi by their zodiac signs. Likely, after the split, the soldiers were classified in here as data by their own counterpart. If you combine the lost data with the ones of the senshi files on here, you might come to the relative conclusion that we might know your planetary counterparts." Aquarius shrugged.

"If you can find the lost data, I'll believe you." Leo just grinned as she began typing furiously into the computer.

"Here," she said proudly, pointing to the screen. A new file had appeared. "This is the lost data. Now all I have do is a reboot into the new system and I think we've got it!" There was a brief wait as a time bar appeared on the screen. The zodiac senshi were quiet as the line finished and beeped. The file on the planet senshi had been updated to their zodiac counterparts.

"Yes!" Leo cheered, typing in some more data. "Looks like we have it. Ready to hear this? Sailor Virgo, your planet counterpart is Sailor Mercury, soldier of love and wisdom with powers over ice." Aries chuckled a bit at the title. Leo turned to her. "Sailor Aries, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Mars, soldier of love and war with powers over fire. Sailor Sagittarius, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Jupiter, soldier of love and protection with powers over electricity. Sailor Libra, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Venus, soldier of love and beauty with powers over love. Sailor Aquarius, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Uranus, soldier of love and flight with powers over earth. Sailor Pisces, your planetary counterpart is Sailor Neptune, soldier of love and elegance with powers over water." Leo took a deep breath as she turned to look at Cancer. "Sailor Cancer…your planetary counterpart is Sailor Moon, soldier of love and justice with powers over the soul." Cancer's face dropped.

"I'm the zodiac counterpart to that crybaby?" she gasped, looking at the others in horror. Leo snorted.

"That's nothing," she muttered. "My planetary counterpart is a guy named Tuxedo Kamen." The others just sighed a bit. Virgo looked at the computer.

"So now we know," she whispered. "Can you dig up any pictures on these guys?" Leo wasn't paying any attention. Her blue eyes were full of wonder as she looked at the screen.

"These status reports are amazing," she breathed.

"Leo!"

"Okay, okay," the blonde responded. "Here are some filed pictures in .zip mode. I'll unzip them and you can see what these senshi look like. You want separate pictures or some group pictures?"

"Separate."

Leo nodded as she began unzipping ten files. She sighed a bit, typing in some data that made the unzipping quicker. A smile appeared on her face as ten pictures came into view, the name of each senshi on the file. The pictures were a bit blurry, but began to clear.

The screen went blank.

"Ooops," Cancer muttered. She got a very silly look on her face. "Um, I didn't know the computer cord was right there." Everyone stared at her before facefaulting.

"Sailor Cancer!" Aries shrieked. Cancer giggled nervously.

"_Gomen_, _gomen_," she apologized. Leo was just muttering to herself as she rebooted her computer. The other senshi sighed, glaring at Cancer.

"Watch your step next time, little one," she whispered at the petite, rose-haired girl. Shaking her head, the files reappeared on the computer. "Now, let's try this again." Everyone lunged at Sailor Cancer, holding her tight. The rose-haired girl stuck out her tongue as she glared at the screen. The file popped up on the screen as Leo typed faster than before on the keyboard.

"The files are still downloading from .zip mode," she said slowly as each picture became clearer. Libra scanned the pictures as a little window came onto the screen.

FILE DONE.

Leo just nodded, typing in a little more. The window disappeared, leaving a clear view of the pictures. Aries folded her arms.

"So these are the little sailor brats," she muttered, her violet eyes looking at the picture labeled Sailor Mars. Her planetary senshi was using her Flame Sniper attack. The picture caught her in a beautiful and graceful mode, a fire arrow in her hands. "Hmmph, she doesn't look all that hot." Sagittarius rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that's nothing," she groaned, pointing to the picture of Sailor Jupiter. The brunette planetary senshi of electricity was using her Sparkling Wide Pressure attack, the lightning rod on her tiara crackling wildly. "Look at this wimp." Cancer was just pouting.

"Sailor Moon isn't all that better either," she muttered, looking at a picture of Sailor Moon holding the silver crystal above her head. "What's with that hairdo anyway?" Leo was staring sullenly at Tuxedo Kamen.

"Who does that guy think he is, anyway?" she grumbled. "He looks like a shallow pretty-boy." Libra shrugged.

"Venus doesn't look all that bad," she said, pointing to the blonde hair senshi, who was using her Love-Me Chain attack. "I mean, she does have a sense of style." Virgo smacked her gum loudly, staring sharply at the blue-haired senshi of wisdom.

"Not this girl," she mumbled, her voice sounding slurred from the gum. "She looks like a total snore." Leo just sighed and looked towards Aquarius and Pisces.

"What do you guys…" she stopped suddenly. The two soldiers' faces were as pale as snow as they looked at their senshi counterparts, "…think? What is it, you two?" Aquarius pointed to her counterpart slowly, her eyes growing larger with each second. She didn't even blink as she pointed to the boyish looking soldier of flight.

"D-d-does she look familiar to you?" she gasped, her throat as dry as a match. All eyes turned to Aquarius' counterpart, confused looks in their eyes. But very soon, the room had become deathly quiet.

"Oh no…" Aries breathed.

"It can't be…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm exhausted," Usagi muttered, dragging herself down the street. She looked into each store she passed, drooling a bit. Hogoshi giggled.

"You're funny Usagi-chan," she said. She slapped the girl on the back. "You haven't done anything to be exhausted." Usagi rolled her eyes as she continued dragging herself.

"Oh, yeah?" she asked. "Try, 'earlier this week, we witnessed our deaths from our past lives'. If that's not enough to drain your energy I don't know what is." Hogoshi was silent, but she was smiling.

"You're too much," she said. Usagi just groaned and continued walking down the street. It wasn't any fair that the others went shopping without her. It wasn't her fault that she had overslept.

Looking across the street at the Crown Game Center, Usagi let out a deep and upset sigh. She hadn't been to the arcade in over a month, ever since Hogoshi started acting weird. It wasn't fair that all their battles had to come during summer vacation when they should be at the beach.

"Tonight will make it a full year," Hogoshi suddenly whispered quietly. Usagi looked up in surprise.

"A full year?" she asked, her brain not exactly computing the thought of a 'full year'. "What do you mean?" Hogoshi looked down for a second and Usagi caught tears swelling up in her eyes.

"Tonight will make it a full year since those four died," she whispered. Usagi stopped in her tracks and put her arms around Hogoshi. Tears spilled from the taller girl's eyes.

"It hurts. It hurts so much that I wasn't able to do anything to save them," she sobbed. "And it hurts even worse that I'm starting to forget them." Usagi hugged her tighter.

"Don't worry Hogoshi-chan," she said in a hushed whisper. "Don't worry. "We won't let you forget them. None of us will ever forget them." Hogoshi didn't respond. She just sobbed some more.

Usagi held the taller girl until her tears had diminished to a few sniffles. Hogoshi looked at Usagi and managed a weak smile. "Thank you _odango-atama_. I really needed that." Usagi gave a peace sign.

"That's what I'm here for!" she cheered. "Remember that American song, 'Lean on Me'? I don't know all the words to it 'cause I'm really terrible in English, but I think it talks about something dealing with being there for someone else." Hogoshi giggled.

"I learned that song, but only the chorus," she said, her green eyes sparkling. "We studied it in music class."

"Do you know it? Can you sing the chorus?" Hogoshi blushed.

"Um, my accent will really mess it up. Let's not and say I did sing it." Usagi just glared at her with a very serene look and Hogoshi sighed. "Fine. But only the chorus." She began in a clear Japanese accent.

"_Lean on me_

When you're not strong

And I'll be your friend.

I'll help you carry on

You might have a problem

And you'll need a friend

We all need somebody

To lean on

I just call on my brother

And you'll understand

We all need somebody

To lean on."

Usagi cheered as Hogoshi stopped singing. The brunette was blushing tremendously. "That was excellent Hogoshi-chan! I think I understood it. You are so good with English." The blush deepened.

"I'm not really that good," Hogoshi replied modestly. Usagi just giggled and grabbed her hand.

"C'mon, Hogoshi-chan!" she yelped. "I heard that one of the bakeries around here is having a sweet sell. I could sure use some sugar in my system." Hogoshi raised an eyebrow.

"You mean, you don't have any in your system already?" she replied. Usagi blushed a bit and glanced across the street. Where on earth was the…bakery? Usagi stared across the street at four young women walking together. They were talking and laughing a bit, but Usagi could sense that the atmosphere around them was a bit solemn.

"_Minna_-chan," she breathed. Immediately, she started waving. "Bunny-san! Atlantica-san! Zephyr-san! Skylar-chan!" Hogoshi looked up and spotted the four. Her green eyes became dark and stormy.

"Let's go, Usagi-chan," she hissed, grabbing the blonde's arm. "You do not want to associate with them." Usagi stared at Hogoshi for a second, a frown etched on her face.

"Why not?"

"Don't you remember what happened with them two weeks ago?" Hogoshi demanded. Her voice was very stern. "You don't want to make friends with them."

"It's not like they're evil or anything," Usagi replied, looking over at the quartet again. She stuck out her tongue. "How come I can't decide who my friends are going to be? You've never met them before. You shouldn't judge." Hogoshi's grip remained firm, although her expression seemed a bit surprised.

"They may not be evil, but they are sure working for evil," she muttered. Usagi shrugged.

"I'd just like to talk to them," she said. "If anything happens, I'll yell. But nothing is going to be accomplished if you hold me like some puppy." Hogoshi let go of the shorter girl's arm.

"Fine," she replied, giving up. "But don't let them take you anywhere, or I'll be forced to transform and beat 'em up."

"Okay!" Usagi yelled, turning back to the four girls across the street. "Hey, wait up you guys!"

Bunny turned at the sound of the familiar voice. Her aqua eyes were confused at first, but when she saw Usagi, all doubt was cleared from her mind. "Hey, Usagi-chan!"

"Tsukino-san?" Zephyr whispered, turning around. The dumpling-haired girl ran up to them, wrapping Bunny in a hug.

"I'm so glad to see everyone!" she exclaimed. She looked up at the others, her face a bit cloudy. "Listen, about what happened the other day…"

"It's completely our fault, Usagi-chan," Atlantica interrupted. Her blue eyes were a bit sad. "We're sorry for what we did. It's just been so confusing for us, we don't know which path to follow."

"Yeah," Skylar added, looking down at the ground. "Sorry for taking your spirit chalice." It was Usagi's turn to be surprised. Her blonde eyebrows shot up into her curly bangs.

"My spirit chalice?" she replied, dumbfounded. She squinted a bit, trying to see the four girls in front of her in a new light. Her eyes widened suddenly as she took a step backwards. "You four are the crystal senshi, aren't you?" Zephyr shook her head.

"It would be more appropriate to say that the crystal senshi are us four," she corrected. She shook her head again, causing the green ponytail in the back to swing. "We've been following who knows what ever since we woke up and the amnesia hasn't gone away yet either."

"Amnesia?" Usagi gasped, staring at the four in a new concern. "How did you get amnesia?" Bunny shrugged.

"The zodiac senshi say it was from an accident, though they've been very dubious about what the accident was," she mumbled. "But whatever happened to us, we have no memories whatsoever of before the accident. A couple of dim flashbacks, but that's about it."

"I'm so sorry," Usagi whispered, a huge weight of honest sincerity in her voice. She grabbed Bunny's hand. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Atlantica shrugged.

"There's not much one can do in a state like this," she said. There was a deep sigh in her voice. "We can only hope that our memories come back to us."

"I wish that I could help somehow…" Usagi whispered, looking down at the brooch on her chest. Could the silver crystal…? Her eyes began to light up.

Carefully, she took off her brooch on her outfit. "Maybe this can help you regain your memories."

"Stop!" a voice called from behind Usagi. The blonde spun around. Hogoshi was standing behind her, arms folded. Her green eyes were dark. "Put that brooch back on your chest where it belongs!" Usagi held the locket firmly in her hands.

"No!" she replied. "Why is everyone telling me what to do? I believe that these four have goodness in their hearts. I just want that goodness to be from all the evil thoughts the zodiac senshi have plagued them with. They're my friends and I protect people who are my friends. It's not fair that the zodiac senshi have been using them to get the talisman. If there's goodness in people's hearts, then it must be released so everyone can be friends."

Hogoshi just got a cocky look in her eyes. "Everyone can't be friends, Usagi-chan! You should know that. No matter where you go, there will be enemies." Usagi shook her head.

"I refuse to believe that there is no goodness in anyone's heart," she replied softly. "If that beautiful emotion is hidden by negative feelings such as sadness, grief, anger, or confusion, but it still exists, then I will do everything in my power to help. That's why I think everyone should be friends so they can understand each other." Hogoshi was taken aback as Usagi smiled softly. "Hogoshi-chan, don't shut yourself up. Learn to trust other people. I know that you can be fairly depressed because of the loss of four people you loved very much, but if you don't learn to trust, the ice of suspension will take over your heart and make it hard. Trust me, Hogoshi-chan. I won't let this world fall apart due to evil."

Hogoshi smiled sweetly, bowing a bit. "Yes, princess." The four others young women were very silent as they stared at Usagi. They all had the strange urge to protect her. Usagi turned back to them, smiling openly.

"Now, I don't know how I can help, but I'd like to try anyway," she said. "But before I can do anything, I'll need some sugar food. I think donuts, cakes, cookies, and candy will do the trick." There was a moment of silence before everyone facefaulted.

"Um, Usagi-chan…" Hogoshi muttered, rubbing the back of her head. She looked very embarrassed. "Shouldn't you try to fix this little problem before eating? Too many sweets can be bad for you." Usagi's face dropped.

"Oooh, Hogoshi-chan has been taking strict lessons from Rei-chan," she groaned. She stuck out her tongue. "Well, I'm hungry! I didn't have lunch!" Hogoshi rolled her eyes.

"Then wait for dinner," she mumbled. "It's already 6:00. We can order a pizza and have a sleepover or something." Usagi was about to say something else when her pink sailor watch beeped. Hogoshi's silver watch soon followed. Usagi flipped the top open as Minako's face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, Minako-chan!" Usagi cried. "What's up?" Minako's face was dark.

"I don't know," she said. "Rei-chan said that something dark was popping up near the park. She and the others are heading to the park to see what's up." Hogoshi frowned.

"Sailor Mars is on my communicator and she says the zodiac senshi are at the park," she replied. Her head suddenly snapped up as she looked over at the crystal senshi. "Do you have anything to do with this?" The four girls looked surprised, then crossed.

"No!" Atlantica snapped, folding her arms. Bunny nodded in agreement.

"They're probably looking for us," she muttered. She ran a hand through her sleek blonde locks. "Probably going to discipline us on leaving without their permission."

"Who are you talking to?" Minako asked as Hogoshi closed her communicator. Usagi grinned nervously.

"Bunny-san, Atlantica-san, Zephyr-san, and Skylar-chan," she said. Minako's eyes lit up.

"What are you doing talking to them?" she gasped. There was another voice over the communicator.

"Who's she talking to?" Minako just stared back at Usagi, her pale blue eyes icy.

"Don't talk to those four after what they did," she commanded. Usagi's eyes widened.

"But-" Minako just shook her head and closed the watch top. Usagi groaned. "Oh, I'm in for an ear full." She turned back to the four crystal senshi. "You guys wanna come with us? Maybe we can get this things straightened once and for all." Zephyr shrugged.

"Sure," she replied. "I'm all for getting my memories back." The other three agreed eagerly as well. Hogoshi just shook her head.

"Fine, they can come," she mumbled. Her green eyes were dark and icy as she turned to the four girls. "But if it turns out this is a trap, then we'll have no choice but to fight you." Bunny shrugged as she touched the sapphire stone around her neck.

"Whatever," she said. Her aqua eyes were pessimistic. She looked around before stepping into the darkness of a back street. "Sapphire crystal power, make UP!" Atlantica and the other nodded their heads and touched the crystals around their necks.

"Emerald crystal power…"

"Ruby crystal power…"

"Topaz crystal power…"

"…make UP!" The four flashes of colors were dark and brooding, but there seemed to be some light in the transformation. The rhythm of the transformation was more upbeat than it usually was. Usagi and Hogoshi stared in amazement as the four senshi pulled themselves into their respective poses.

Sapphire cocked her head to the side. "What are you waiting for?"

"Oh!" Usagi gasped. She held her locket in the air, the ring on her finger glowing as well. "Eternal moon cosmos power…"

"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"

"…make UP!" they shouted in unison. There were two flashes of light before Sailor Moon and Sailor Destiny appeared.

"Okay, let's get to the park!" Sailor Destiny shouted, taking off down the street. Emerald, Ruby, and Topaz immediately followed her. Sapphire was about to take off running, when Sailor Moon grabbed her hand.

"Sapphire, you're my friend, right?" she asked. Sapphire was taken aback by the question, but a smile found its way to her face.

"Yes. I'm your friend."

"Then you'll fight with me?" Sapphire considered the offer for a second. Why not? Usagi, or Sailor Moon, was the only person who was truthful to her beside her three fellow crystal senshi. The zodiac senshi were nothing like that, just the complete opposites. All of their honest feelings were façades.

"I'll fight with you and protect you."

"Thank you, Sapphire," she said. "And I'll try my best to return your memories." Sapphire smiled.

"Okay, but until then, we had better catch up with the others," she said with a laugh in her voice. With that, she took off. Sailor Moon was caught off guard by her speed.

"Wow, she's fast," Sailor Moon whispered. Then she got a funny look on her face.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Mars stared at the zodiac senshi in front of her. It was the first time she had actually seen any of them in person. But the one that kept her attention was her counterpart, Sailor Aries.

Sailor Cancer walked forth, her sugary pink hair bouncing. "Hello, sailor senshi." The other people in the park had left in surprise when the zodiac senshi had arrived. The sky had become ominously dark from the dusk, the sun halfway down the horizon. The sky had turned navy blue, stars glistening in the sky like diamonds. The clouds were fluffy cotton balls of pink and purple where the sun was setting. The sun itself was a glowing orb of orange fire, but the trees hid most of the scene from view.

The zodiac senshi had just suddenly arrived, attacking people with the Oracle Mace. The sailor planets had arrived just in time to return the chalices before anything bad happened. The people had left in a hurry after seeing the black scepter. Now, only the zodiac senshi and the planetary senshi were left.

Sailor Chibi Moon stepped forward, looking at Sailor Cancer sharply. "You better leave or we're going to beat you up! We outnumber you eight to seven with more allies on the way."

"Oh really?" Cancer asked mockingly. She held the Oracle Mace in her hands and was twirling it a bit. "We're only here for the crystal senshi." Jupiter snorted.

"Well, as you can see, they're not here," she replied, crossing her arms. Her counterpart, Sagittarius, just clucked her tongue.

"You haven't changed, my dear Jupiter," she said, a wicked grin on her face. "It hasn't struck you about the crystal senshi yet?" Fighter just shrugged.

"We could care less about them," she retorted. There was a glint in her eyes. "Now, if you came looking for a fight…" Cancer just raised the Oracle Mace a bit, a grin on her face.

"I don't think you wanna cross us," she said. "We have the same powers as your friends." Mars rolled her eyes.

"Yeah right."

"Burning Mandala!" Aries shouted. Mars' jaw dropped to see the attack, _her_ attack, coming straight at her. She jumped out of the way as the rings of black fire disappeared before hitting a tree. She turned to the zodiac senshi in shock. If that was true, then Cancer had to be as strong as Sailor Moon!

"Oh, so the fighting has started?" Jupiter asked, cracking her knuckles. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sagittarius yelled, throwing the black electric disk. The leaves of the attack connected with the disk, causing an electric explosion. Both soldiers of electricity were blown backwards.

Venus faced off against her counterpart, Libra. Libra grinned a bit. "Fighting won't solve anything. You have a great sense of style, anyway. We have something in common." Venus, who was about to call her attack, stared at the pretty soldier in front of her dumbly.

"Really?" she gasped, her pale blue eyes sparkling. Libra grinned again.

"Nope," she laughed. Before Venus could even react, Libra was calling out her own attack. "Crescent Beam!" The dark beam hit Venus square in the chest, making her go flying backwards into a tree. She groaned a bit, the pain inflicted on her excruciating. She had never received this end of the attack!

"So, you're Sailor Mercury, huh?" Virgo asked. She blew a huge pink bubble before pulling the gum back in her mouth. "I'm a lot stronger than you, you know!" Mercury just stared back at her.

"Well, that may be so," she stared slowly, "but we have love on our side. And love makes us strong." Virgo rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she said, bringing her hands to her chest. "Shine Aqua Illusion!" Mercury's eyes widened. What attack could put that attack on ice?

"Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" she shouted, pulling the strings on the water harp. The water beam went straight for a column of water heading towards it. The two attacks clashed, turned to ice and then exploded. Mercury felt the sharp stings of ice on her face and fell backwards from the force. She groaned and saw that Virgo had also fallen backwards.

This is going to be a long fight, Mercury thought has she struggled to get up.

"I'll fight against you!" Chibi Moon called to the older pink-haired girl standing in front of her. She brandished her kaleidoscope. "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" she yelled. Cancer rolled her eyes and raised the OraOracle Mace. The black beam tore through the positive attack and headed straight for Chibi Moon. Her red eyes grew large in horror.

"Star Serious Laser!" a voice shouted. A line of silver stars hit the black beam, shattering it. Sailor Star Fighter stepped in front of Chibi Moon. She turned around. "Are you okay?" Chibi Moon nodded. She still found it somewhat weird that this was the young man who had said she was cute around a month earlier.

"I'm fine," she replied. "But we need to get that Oracle Mace out of her hands." Fighter nodded and turned to where Venus and Libra were fighting.

"We're going to need the Lovely Chain attack to get it out of her hands," she whispered. Turning back towards Sailor Cancer, her eyes hardened. "Okay, Sailor Cancer. You mess with one senshi, you mess with all of them." Cancer rolled her blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm so scared," she said. She raised the Oracle Mace and pointed it straight at Sailor Star Fighter. "Any last words? No? Well, then. Bye, bye." Another black beam appeared from the scepter, heading straight for the raven-haired soldier.

"Fighter!" Chibi Moon yelled as the older soldier held her ground. Too close, too close…Fighter ducked suddenly, the attack flying into a tree behind her. Chibi Moon saw the soldier collapse to the ground and rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Without waiting for a respond, she wrapped her tiny arms around Fighter's neck. She began crying. "Don't ever do something like that again!"

"Believe me, I don't think I'll have the guts to do something like that again," she muttered, laughing a bit.

Cancer just fumed. She had better use the attack when the two senshi were distracted. She raised the Oracle Mace and leveled it. Time to get rid off some of the trash.

"Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!" a high-pitched voice yelled from a tree. The attack hit Cancer from behind, knocking the scepter from her hands. It landed a few yards from her. "Stop right now!" At that moment, everyone stopped fighting and looked up at a nearby tree, silhouetted by the moonlight. A dumpling-haired girl was standing on a branch thick enough to hold the extra weight.

"How dare you!" she yelled, her feature still hidden by the moonlight. "Attacking the beautiful positive universe that holds love and friendship! I am the soldier of love and justice, Eternal Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the moon, I will punish you!" The girl jumped from the tree and gave her pose.

"Well then, Miss Moon," Cancer said slowly. "I guess we'll just have to get rid of you now, won't we?"

"Not while we're here," a quiet voice said. Four figures stepped from behind the tree. Sapphire crossed her arms. "You've taken things too far, Sailor Cancer." Sailor Destiny nodded her head. She was still sitting in the tree, unnoticed by the other senshi. She jumped out, landing next to Sailor Moon.

"We're going to settle things here and now," she said. The zodiac soldiers' eyes turned to the crystal senshi, wicked smiled spreading across their face.

"Where've you been, you four?" Aquarius asked, a hint of sarcasm on her voice. "We were so worried." Emerald scowled.

"Sure you were," she said. "If you haven't realized it yet, we quit. We're not working for you guys anymore." Pisces pretended to be shocked, but deadly evil was still on her face.

"What did we ever do to hurt you guys?" she asked. Cancer also joined in.

"Yeah, we took care of you guys after the accident," she said. Topaz shook her head.

"No. You didn't," she said simply. "We've learned enough from Sailor Moon to know that you've been lying to us all this time. It's too late to change our minds." The zodiac soldiers looked at each other, a look on all their faces showing that they didn't care.

"Whatever," Virgo said. Cancer raised the Oracle Mace and pointed it at Sailor Moon.

"Let's get the original idea down," she said as the black beam once again left the scepter, heading straight for Sailor Moon. The other senshi gasped in shock.

"Sailor Moon!" they yelled. The blonde soldier just stood frozen in panic. Sapphire's eyes grew large as she rushed over to the girl, knocking her out the way. Both senshi ended up on the ground as the beam landed on the tree. Sapphire groaned a bit, looking at Sailor Moon.

"You okay?" she asked. Sailor Moon opened one eye and then both eyes. She blinked.

"_Hai_, thanks to you," she said as both senshi climbed to their feet. The inner soldiers were shocked as Sapphire helped Sailor Moon to her feet.

"She saved you," Venus whispered, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her eyes. She looked at Sapphire and managed a shocked smile, her eyes as huge as dinner platters. "You saved her." Sapphire shrugged modestly.

"She's the one who saved us," she said. "I'm just returning the favor." Sailor Moon nodded in agreement before turning back to the zodiac senshi who seemed rather bored, but surprised at the event.

"It's time to get this over with," she said, holding the tier in her hands firmly. "We've been battling ever since the beginning of time. It's time to put an end to this feud." Cancer just shrugged as she pointed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Moon. Both soldiers had a scepter in their hands, pointing it at each other. One scepter had the power of healing and love and pureness while the other had the power of destruction, hate, and evil.

"That's it!" Aquarius suddenly exclaimed. Her gaze turned over to Sapphire. "Too bad you didn't stay part of the group. Now you're going to have to die." Sapphire's eyes widened a bit as Aquarius suddenly rushed at her. Groaning, she started running away.

"Sapphire!" Sailor Moon yelled and took off running after the two soldiers. Cancer murmured something beneath her breath and was about to run after Sailor Moon when a hand came down on her shoulder. Cancer turned to see who had stopped her. Aries shook her head.

"We need the Oracle Mace here," she said. "You're the only one who can control it well." Cancer fumed for a second before nodding.

"Okay, Aries." With that, she turned back to the other senshi who had continued fighting. She polished the scepter with her gloved hand before aiming it up at the sky. She sighed a bit. This wasn't going to be any fun without Sailor Moon here to be crying over everyone. Maybe she'd use the scepter when she got back.

Grinning at the thought, she charged into battle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I feel uneasy," Megumi whispered, looking outside from the balcony. It was a gorgeous night outside, but something about it seemed deadly. She shivered involuntarily. "Something is going to happen, I know it."

"Me too," Kei said. She joined Megumi on the balcony, wiping some purple curls from her eyes. Her red eyes glittered in the darkness. "But I don't know what's going to happen. Whether it's good or bad, I don't know." There was a stirring near the door behind her.

"Let's hope for good," the voice mused. The two girls spun around to see Yomicha coming to join them on the balcony. Kei smiled at her.

"About time you woke up," she said playfully. Yomicha flashed a cute grin at her. "You were sleeping like a rock."

"I was not," Yomicha protested. Megumi giggled.

"Yes, you were," she said. She looked over the railing at the ten-story drop. Heights never appealed to her. She looked back at the older girls, her green eyes suddenly dark. "I feel like something is going to happen soon. I think it will affect our side, though."

"Like what?" Kei asked. Yomicha looked up at the clear sky. The moon was full, hanging low and large on the horizon. The stars were glistening brightly in the nearly black sky. She had seen skies like this before, but there was something different about it. She frowned in recognition.

"That's weird," she whispered. The other two girls turned to her.

"What's weird?" Kei asked, placing an arm on Yomicha's shoulder. The taller girl pointed to some clouds resembling the northern lights floating in the sky. They were fading in and out and Yomicha had a feeling that only sailor senshi could see them.

"I've never seen those things before," she breathed before shaking her head. "I'm probably seeing things." Megumi shrugged.

"You probably are," she said. Her frown never left though. She looked up at the sky. "Have either of you talked to the others lately?" Kei and Yomicha shook their heads.

"Nope, not since a week ago," Kei said slowly. Her hand went to touch the brooch in her pocket. She brought it out and stared at it for a while. Something was up. Something wasn't right, she could feel it. Yomicha stretched a bit.

"Well, I'm guessing they're pretty much in shock about their past lives," she joked a bit, running her hand through her silver locks. A smile crept onto her face. "I have this feeling…" The smile suddenly disappeared as her head jerked up. Almost instinctively, her hand went to _henshin_ pen in her jacket pocket. Kei's grip on her locket hardened and Megumi pulled out her _henshin_ pen. A wave of urgency spilled over the trio, blocking their minds of only one thing: to transform.

"The princess is in danger," Megumi gasped, her hold on the pen tightening. "They're in trouble." Kei and Yomicha nodded, the wave of urgency even stronger this time.

"We have to transform before it's too late," Yomicha whispered, holding her _henshin_ pen high above her head. "Capricorn zodiac power…"

"Scorpio zodiac power…"

"Midnight zodiac power…"

"…make UP!" There were three flashes of light and soon, three pretty sailor-suited senshi were standing on the balcony. Selene came running onto the balcony, her eyes full of terror. She stared up at the three senshi, her violet eyes huge.

"Something is going to happen!" she shouted, jumping on top of Sailor Midnight's head. "It's going to affect our side, I just know it. Someone is going to die!" Capricorn froze at those words.

"Die?" she breathed. The world darkened on her for a second. She grasped the railing, looking at the ten-story drop. She suddenly jerked her head up, though her heartbeat was still rapid and her breath was coming in collective gasps. "We have to go. As much as I hate to think about the sacrifice right now, the talisman might appear." Scorpio nodded.

"We have to protect the senshi at all costs!" she said, her green eyes mature all of a sudden. Sailor Midnight nodded in agreement.

"Let's get this over with," she said, looking up at the sky. "If those zodiac senshi even think of harming our princess…" The three soldiers of the revelation looked at each other and knew something very important was going to affect their side. Unfortunately, they didn't know whether it was good or if it was bad.

Selene looked at the three senshi worriedly. "Please," she begged. "Don't get hurt." Midnight stroked the small cat's chin a bit as she tried to smile.

"Don't worry," she assured as the calico jumped off her head. She looked at the other two senshi. "Let's do it."

The three senshi turned and jumped off the balcony. Their enhanced senshi skills kicked in as they landed gracefully on the ground. They took off running down the street. Selene sighed as she looked up at the sky. Her eyes grew larger.

"Those stars…are shining?" she whispered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sapphire looked behind her, but Aquarius was still hot on her trail. She took a deep breath and started running faster. She was tiring out. She had never run this fast before in her entire life…at least, what she could remember of it.

She took note of a tree up ahead. Maybe…yes, there was a branch low enough. She pushed herself harder, sweat running down her face. Her face was pink from effort and her muscles were sore from the sudden exertion of speed. Just a bit farther…

Aquarius kept Sapphire in her sight. Her long pale blue hair was whipping wildly around her face. She muttered a curse beneath her breath. Her hair was the least of her worries. She took a brief gasp as Sapphire began running faster. As if that girl wasn't running fast enough already!

Sapphire rook a deep breath, the branch was approaching quickly. With her enhanced ability, she launched herself into the air, grabbing the branch with her gloved hands. Her speed caused her to swing over and on top of the branch. The bark tore at her gloves as they circled around its rough texture. She pulled herself up before she swung back down, gripping the tree firmly. She gasped a bit as she touched the brooch on her chest. It was glowing a bit.

Aquarius ran into view, looking upset. Her back was to Sapphire who was trying not to breathe too loud. Aquarius placed her hands on her hips and looked around. Sapphire was nowhere to be seen.

"Great," she muttered, tossing her pale blue hair behind her shoulders. Her green eyes were dark as she looked around. "Just great. Where on earth did that girl go?"

Sapphire struggled not to say anything. If she could just call out her attack and make a run for it. She raised her fist into the air, feeling the burning power running through her blood stream, being released into a deadly attack. "Chaotic Storm!" she screamed, throwing the sapphire colored orb that had formed in her fist to the ground.

Aquarius spun around, but too late. The orb hit her and tore through her skin, burning every cell in her body. She screamed in agony as the dark blue attack covered her. She felt her energy giving out as her mind began shutting down. Her heart began to slow as the blue attack began to dim away.

Sapphire stared in horror as the girl collapsed to her knees. Aquarius looked up in the tree and their eyes met for a second. Aquarius glared at her before collapsing to the ground. She dissolved into blue bubbles that floated away into the night sky. Sapphire let out a sigh of relief, slumping against the trunk of the tree.

Sailor Moon suddenly ran up onto the scene. She looked around, breathing heavily. "Sapphire! Sailor Sapphire! Where were you?" Sapphire jumped from the tree, landing gently on the ground. She was a bit shaky.

"Right here, Sailor Moon," she whispered. Sailor Moon spun around and hugged her tightly. Tears spilled from her eyes as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl's waist.

"Oh, Sapphire!" she whispered. "Don't scare me like that again! Did she hurt you?" Sapphire shook her head, the long blonde pigtails swishing back and forth.

"Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine."

"Hmmph, you won't be once I get done with you," a voice sneered through the darkness. Blue bubbles appeared again and Aquarius stood before them. The moonlight glistened on the knife in her hands. Sapphire's eyes widened as she stared at Aquarius.

"Impossible!" she gasped. "You're supposed to be…" Aquarius laughed a bit, rubbing the knife with her hand. She grinned as she looked back up at Sailor Moon.

"Dead?" she asked. "I don't think so. Only my planetary counterpart can kill me. With her original attack in highest power. But you, my dear, aren't my planetary counterpart." Sailor Moon looked thoroughly confused.

"Huh?" she said. "I didn't get a thing you just said." Aquarius just rolled her eyes. Sailor Moon just held her scepter firmly. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" Aquarius just jumped up into the air and behind Sailor Moon with an amazing jump. She faced Sailor Sapphire as she raised the knife.

"Good-bye, Sailor Sapphire," she hissed. Sailor Moon spun around, but too late. She tried screaming something, but no words would come from out. Aquarius plunged the knife straight through Sapphire's side. Sapphire screamed out in pain as Aquarius pulled the knife back out. It was stained with blood, looking black in the darkness of the night. Aquarius just laughed a bit before she disappeared in a wisp of blue bubbles.

Sapphire stared at the wound dumbly before collapsing to her knees. Sailor Moon's eyes grew larger and larger as Sapphire pulled her hand away from the wound. Her white-gloved hand was stained with blood, which also looked black in the moonlight. Raising her head, she looked back at Sailor Moon with a sense of dread and hopelessness in her eyes. "Sailor Moon," she whispered as blood spilled from her mouth. Sailor Moon's hands flew to her mouth as she ran towards Sapphire.

"SAPPHIRE!" she screamed, reaching the girl. Tears spilled down her face as she looked at the wound. Deep down, she knew it was too late. Sapphire's body went limp in her arms as the blood flowing from her side began to turn black from lack of oxygen. She rocked Sapphire back and forth, as if unwilling to let the girl go. "Sapphire…no…don't go…you…can't…die… you can't…die…"

"Sailor Moon…" a deep masculine voice said from behind her. Sailor Moon didn't even look up as Tuxedo Kamen kneeled next to her. He looked at his fiancé slowly, touching Sapphire's blonde locks. Sailor Moon was crying hysterically. "Usa-ko, I'm so sorry." Sailor Moon grasped Sapphire's hand desperately.

"She can't die," she whispered to her boyfriend. Her blue eyes were raw with emotion. No heartbeat…no breathing…she was dead. It was almost as if the tragedy that occurred a year ago was repeating itself. "She can't die! She didn't do anything to deserve this. She saved my life. It's not fair."

Tuxedo Kamen held the whimpering girl. It wasn't fair, he agreed with that. Still, Sapphire had been evil and had actually taken Sailor Moon's chalice, so maybe she deserved it just a bit? No. If what Usa-ko said was true and Sapphire had saved her life, then this girl didn't deserve death.

Tuxedo Kamen gently helped the girl to her feet. Taking a glance at Sapphire's body, he silently scooped the body of the ground. The look of the blood was terrifying, but he couldn't just leave the girl there. If anything, her three allies might know what to do.

Sailor Moon clung to Tuxedo Kamen's arm as they walked back to the battle scene.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Emerald dodged another round of Pisces' attacks. That green-haired freak was really getting on her last nerves. She glared at Pisces before running from another round of attacks. Would this girl ever tire out?

"Submarine Reflection!" Pisces yelled as a tidal wave came hurtling towards Emerald. Emerald glowered at the girl before dodging the attack once again. If that girl could play dirty, then so could she. Except she'd make her play hurt.

"Sparkling Darkness!" she screamed as the dark cloud full of silver dust crashed in Pisces. The zodiac soldier slammed into a tree, confusing her for a second. Emerald grinned. That hadn't been so hard. Now, all she had to do was to get rid of her. Pisces struggled to get up.

"Why haven't you asked why we're fighting you?" she asked as she faced Sailor Emerald. "Have you ever thought about that fact that we just might be having a bad day?" Emerald shook her head.

"Nope."

"Then, I guess this will hurt," Pisces hissed between her teeth. "Deep Submerge!" The wave came shooting down towards Emerald who was too surprised to even move. The planet shaped orb of water slammed her against the ground, throwing her back a couple of yards. Emerald coughed as she tried to get the water out of her lungs. She spurted out some water, but was having a hard time with the rest.

"Geez…ugh…," Emerald managed to say before coughing some more. That was some powerful attack. Pisces approached her, a smirk on her face. She looked like she had won some sort of prize. Emerald just glared at her between convulsions.

"Oh, did that hurt?" Pisces asked, looking too cute. She twirled a strand of aqua-green hair. Suddenly, a burst of blue light shone next to her. Aquarius appeared, a murderous look in her green eyes. Her right hand was behind her back. She laughed a bit as she looked down at Sailor Emerald.

"Any last words?" she asked. "Your friend didn't have the time to say any." Emerald immediately froze as she got to her feet. Didn't have time? She remembered that Aquarius had taken off after Sapphire. Sapphire couldn't be…

"What did you do to her?" Emerald screamed, her deep blue eyes dark. "What did you do to Sapphire?" Aquarius just grinned some more as she brought her hand from behind her back. In it was knife, that was coated in blood, as black as the universe. Emerald's eyes became torn in grief as she looked at the knife.

"No," she whispered, hands flying to her mouth. "No, no, NO!" A terrible burning feeling of hopelessness surged from her heart, burning her throat and blinding her vision with tears. A screaming feeling of despair ran through her as she collapsed to her knees. The emotion caused by losing Sapphire was so powerful, she nearly reached for the knife herself. She shook in agony as tears spilled down her cheeks. She sobbed loudly as the doubled over, hugging herself in horror.

"Too bad," Pisces said, a hint of terrible sarcasm in her voice. "I guess you won't see her again." She raised her hands, preparing to send Emerald to her grave. "Submarine…"

"Stop it! Fighting won't get us anywhere!" a voice screamed. Pisces stopped in mid-attack. She turned to see Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen appear from the shadows. Tuxedo Kamen held a body in his arms and Pisces didn't even have to guess who it was. Emerald looked up and saw the girl in Tuxedo Kamen's arms. Her eyes became even more tattered.

"Sapphire!" she screamed, running to the trio. She looked at Sailor Moon in desperation. But Sailor Moon had tears streaming down her face too. Emerald looked at Sapphire and then at the wound. She cried out in agony as she buried her face in her hands. "Sapphire…don't leave me…"

The other planetary senshi had stopped fighting when Sailor Moon had appeared. They saw Sapphire in Tuxedo Kamen's arms and felt a sudden weight in their heart. They knew it, even without anyone saying anything. Tuxedo Kamen gently set Sapphire on the ground. Ruby and Topaz saw as well and immediately rushed over.

"Bunny-mama," Topaz whispered, touching the soft locks of Sapphire's hair. "Don't die…don't die…" Zephyr was momentarily stunned, but turned her gaze over to Aquarius.

"You did this to her?" she hissed, her voice so low and full of suppressed wrath, all the senshi got goosebumps on their arms. Aquarius didn't even bat an eye. She just crossed her arms.

"So?" she asked. She turned to Sailor Cancer. "Cancer, I think we can get rid of these three now." Cancer simply nodded and pointed the Oracle Mace at the three crystal senshi. A black beam came shooting straight out the orb on the scepter. Tuxedo Kamen grabbed Sailor Moon and leapt out of the way. Ruby and Topaz looked up and moved out of the way the minute they saw the black beam coming towards them. Emerald glared at Cancer in fury, but didn't move.

It doesn't matter anymore, she thought as the black beam approached her. _Nothing matters anymore…not without Sapphire…_

, she thought as the black beam approached her. 

All the senshi watched in bewilderment and horror as the black beam struck Emerald in the back. The aqua-haired girl jerked from the force before her eyes went lifeless. Her deep green spirit chalice flew from her chest and rolled to the ground a few yards away. Emerald collapsed on top of Sapphire. The black band keeping up the bun on her head loosened a bit, letting curly strands of aqua green hair fall around her face.

Sailor Destiny's brooch vibrated for a second. It glowed aqua before dimming down.

"No!" Sailor Moon screamed. She turned to Sailor Virgo, who was picking up the spirit chalice. "Don't touch it! Don't you dare touch that!" Virgo just smirked as she tossed the chalice to Sailor Cancer. "You can't do that! It's not fair!"

"All's fair in love and war, Sailor Moon," a voice said from the darkness. A figure shimmered into view, out of thin air. Her figure was very, very familiar. Sailor Moon's mouth dropped into a perfect O.

Staring back at her was…herself.

"Surprise, planetary senshi," the fake Sailor Moon said in evil voice. She tossed one of her pigtails dramatically. "Nice to meet all of you again. Let me introduce myself. I'm the zodiac counterpart of the soldier of Earth, Tuxedo Kamen. My name is Sailor Leo."

"You look like Sailor Moon," Healer replied, looking at the new figure up and down. The fraud laughed a bit, touching her brooch. Her image dissolved away, leaving behind a pretty sailor soldier. Her blue eyes twinkled.

"Oh, that's just a façade," Leo said, tossing her golden hair behind her shoulder. She looked over at Sailor Sapphire and Sailor Emerald. "Two down, two to go. Though I would have liked to have met their true selves before they died. Oh, well. Maybe next lifetime."

"True selves?" Ruby asked. She raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you mean by that?" Leo laughed a bit.

"Oh, you once served in the court of Serenity," she said. Her blue eyes got mischievous. "But that was such a long time ago. Or maybe it wasn't…" It was the planetary soldiers' turn to look surprised.

"You mean, the crystal senshi are on our side?" Jupiter gasped, her green eyes getting huge. "That's impossible. Capricorn never once mentioned them in our past."

"Oh, that's because the crystal senshi weren't the crystal senshi," Leo said, getting bored with the entire ordeal. She looked at Cancer. "You might as well get rid of the remaining two while we're at it." Cancer nodded and aimed the Oracle Mace at Sailor Topaz.

"Heaven Inferno," a voice whispered from the darkness. A dark red energy orb went straight for Sailor Cancer. Cancer glared at the attack in recognition and ducked. The attack dissolved, so not to hurt anybody other that Cancer. Leo clucked her tongue.

"Oooh, the traitors arrive," she said scornfully.

"Shut up," the voice said. It was sober and full of anger. The planetary senshi looked up, only to see Sailor Scorpio step from the darkness. But something was very different about her. Her eyes were dark and foreboding. She was staring at the zodiac senshi with an intense hatred flaring in her green eyes, but a calm expression was on her face. And she looked taller and older than she was before. She held some sort of staff in her hands, pointing it at everyone menacingly.

"Scorpio?" Sailor Moon breathed. The last time she had seen this Scorpio was when Capricorn showed them the evil side of them. She looked around at the zodiac senshi and felt a sudden panic race through her heart. The zodiac senshi had gone quite pale and had actually backed up a bit. She took a deep breath. There was something evil coming from the red and black clad soldier in front of them.

"Well, hello, my zodiac senshi," Scorpio hissed in a hollow voice, stepping causally from the shadows. The moonlight cast eerie shadows across her face. Her voice had lost its childish innocence, but maybe that was because the Scorpio standing in front of them was no longer a child. She looked at least eighteen. "Long time, no see."

"Scorpio…" Leo whispered, looking very pale. "Why are you here?" Scorpio laughed derisively.

"Why are we here, you ask?" she whispered, stroking the staff in her hands softly and deliberately. Her green eyes looked amused. She looked up and past the group, seemingly to a person standing behind them all. "She asks why we're here, Capricorn. Do you think we should answer?" Everyone immediately turned around. Capricorn was standing behind them, the same darkness vibrating around her as well.

"Might as well tell them," she said with black humor. "It wouldn't kill them to know. Or would it?" There was a staff in her hands as well. It was glowing deep purple. Capricorn laughed a bit, walking towards the group. She looked around at each face and then rested on Emerald and Sapphire's bodies. She frowned a bit. "What happened here?"

"Capricorn, can you help them?" Sailor Moon suddenly cried out, stepping toward the dark soldier. Capricorn tore her gaze from the two slain soldiers and to Sailor Moon. The blonde soldier gasped. This couldn't be the Capricorn she knew. The darkness in her eyes was overwhelming, even worse from when she had turned into creature at the Hikawa Shrine. It was the most complete, frightening evil she had ever felt before in her entire life. She gasped a bit, but regained her composure. "Capricorn?"

"Ah, the meddling moon princess," Capricorn replied, her voice low. Her slate blue eyes were nearly blank from the evil. "I thought you could use some assistance. This little vendetta has been going out for quite some time and we thought it should be put to an end. Right now. That's why those senshi," she pointed to the zodiac senshi, "are going to die." Sailor Moon's eyes widened.

"No!" she shouted, pleadingly. "Don't kill them. Isn't there some other way…"

"Oh, shut up," Capricorn replied, raising her hand. A dark beam of energy, quicker than any of the senshi could make out, headed straight for Sailor Moon. The sudden force sent her flying into a tree where the energy turned to stone, trapping her there. In fast and liquid movements, Capricorn easily trapped the other planetary and starlight senshi to a tree. She turned her gaze back to the zodiac senshi.

"That's odd," Mercury said. "I could've sworn she was on our side." Mars just looked at her, shrugging her shoulders.

"Something's up," she said. "I can feel it. Those two are giving off so much negative energy, it hurts. I have a feeling that there is a reason their doing this. I just don't know what."

"Excuse me," Venus said slowly, looking from Scorpio to Capricorn and back. "Has anyone other than me actually taken a good look at those weapons those two are holding?" The attention immediately focused as the planetary senshi looked at the weapons the two girls were holding. The reaction was instantaneous.

"Oh my lord…" Jupiter whispered.

"Impossible…" Chibi Moon added. Scorpio noticed their sudden quietness and half-finished sentences. She grinned wickedly, holding up the staff in her hands.

"Are you surprised to see the time key?" she asked. She looked over at Capricorn. "Or the Silence Glaive?" Capricorn laughed.

"I think it's time we brought a complete end to this battle," she said, raising the glaive high above her head. "Death Reborn…"

"STOP!" Cancer suddenly yelled. Capricorn lowered the glaive, grinning a bit. Cancer's blue eyes were frantic. "Please, don't do this Capricorn. It's not fair." With that, she swung the Oracle Mace around and directed it at Ruby and Topaz. The black beam shot from the orb immediately, striking Ruby in the chest. She cried out in severe pain as a red orb flew from her chest. She collapsed to the ground, her crimson eyes hazy. The orb fell to the ground, rolling away several yards.

"No!" Sailor Moon yelled, tears brimming in her eyes. She struggled against the restraints Capricorn had put on her. Nothing budged. She screamed out in frustration and desperation as Cancer aimed the Oracle Mace for the last time. It was Chibi Moon's turn to cry out.

"No, stop! STOP!" she screamed, but to no avail. It all happened so quickly. The beam hit the brooch on Topaz's chest, shattering it. The force of the blow knocked the tiny girl into a tree. The black beam had taken its toll. A yellow orb flew from Topaz's body before crashing down on the grass. Topaz's body fell limp as her eyes closed.

"NOOOOOO!" Chibi Moon screamed. She turned to Cancer in fury, her eyes raging. "How could you? They never did a thing to you!" Cancer just shrugged. She fired a black beam at Sailor Sapphire. The dead girl glowed a dark blue for a spirit chalice floated from the body. It landed on the ground, softly.

"I don't care about what happens to the planetary senshi," she said, a sigh in her voice. Fighter, even though she had disliked the crystal senshi before this battle, felt angry at the zodiac senshi for killing four senshi in cold blood.

"It doesn't matter whether you liked them or not," she hissed at the eight senshi. "You killed them and that's all that really matters at the moment."

Capricorn stared at Topaz for a brief second, her dark eyes filled with some sort of emotion. Then, slowly, she turned to Sailor Destiny. The brunette had been very quiet during the entire mix-up. Her large green eyes were a bit uncomprehending, as if she were trying to make out the whole situation. The brooch on her chest was glowing.

"Sailor Destiny, what do you think?" she asked softly. Destiny didn't even blink an eye. She seemed to know what Capricorn was talking about. She looked at the four bodies and the three spirit chalices. She smiled.

"Those spirit chalices are fake," she said slowly. The zodiac senshi stared at Sailor Destiny in surprise.

"What do you mean fake?" Libra asked, putting her hands on her hips. "There's nothing fake about them. We took them out, they died, they must be real." Destiny slowly shook her head.

"Those spirit chalices are completely fake," she said. "Their true spirits had long since left their bodies. These are just substitutes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say these senshi are anomaly." Sailor Moon scrunched up her nose in confusion.

"Ano-what?" she asked. Destiny laughed a bit.

"In the evil universe, but of another," she said. She looked over at Sailor Capricorn and then at the zodiac senshi. "You found them dead and gave them temporary spirit chalices."

"How'd you know?" Aries asked, folding her arms. "You don't recognize these four do you? You weren't there with us when we gave them these spirit chalices." Destiny shook her head.

"No, I wasn't," she said. She looked down at her brooch. "But something tells me I might know who these four are." She looked up and grinned a bit. "Are those four perhaps the outer senshi of this solar system?" Sailor Jupiter snapped her head to side, staring at Sailor Destiny like she was crazy.

"The outer senshi have been dead for a year," she said. "I know you miss them, Destiny, but now is no time to start seeing things."

"I'm not seeing things," Destiny replied. "Besides that little change in appearance, those four fit the descriptions exactly. Didn't Aries just say that those four were dead by the time they found them? And not just anyone can be a sailor senshi. You'd already have to have the pureness of the heart and the courage as well. And answer me this: why one earth did Sapphire pull out Uranus' talisman during the battle when we first met the zodiac senshi since Uranus is the only one who can use it?" The silence afterwards was nearly deafening. Destiny smiled as she looked to Capricorn.

"I have something very important to do," she said. "Let me go." Capricorn nodded and snapped her fingers. The stone dissolved into thin air. Leo growled beneath her breath.

"Oh, no you don't," she said. She raised her hand and threw a golden rose at Sailor Destiny. Destiny agilely jumped out of the way. The other zodiac senshi seemed to come out of their trance and moved in on Sailor Destiny.

"I don't think so," a pretty voice said from out of nowhere. "It wouldn't be fair to have eight against one. Twilight Expansion!" A heavy purple mist rose from out of the ground, briefly surprising the senshi. A silhouetted figure walked into their midst. She smiled as she brought a finger to her mouth, as if telling everyone to be silent. The ground began to glow a bit beneath the girl. "Do what you need to do Sailor Destiny."

"Right," Destiny whispered. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The brooch on her chest began glowing brightly. The ground was suddenly alive with a kaleidoscope of colors. The planetary senshi looked on in awe. The top to the locket opened a bit, revealing a moonstone that covered the entire area with light. It was the most gorgeous thing any of the senshi had ever seen. The light was so pure and so full of light, it nearly brought tears to everyone's eyes.

Destiny gently held the shining stone in her hands. She concentrated, connecting her very existence into the stone. The four bodies on the ground glowed with a new and pure light. Her brooch suddenly glowed gold, then aqua, then garnet, and finally violet. Destiny closed her eyes. _Please. Live again. Fight with and protect the princess. Revive…the outer soldiers of this solar system!_

Four orbs of light came shooting from the locket and to their respective owners. The stars in the sky began to shine nearly to a blinding extent. Sailor Moon gasped in wonder as the moon began to shine a bright silver color. The light was getting brighter with each passing second. Everyone began to forget about the entire purpose of the light and just dwelled in its pureness and lightness.

Slowly, yet surely, the light began to dim away. Sailor Moon regretted its leaving, as did the rest of the planetary and starlight senshi. The light reentered Destiny's brooch. Everything seemed to dull at the point. Even the stars in the sky seemed to have lost their shine and the moon seemed to be just a dead star in the sky. At that moment, everyone's minds began to clear and remembered what the entire purpose of the event was. They turned to four slain senshi.

What they saw shocked them.

Sailor Uranus groaned briefly before blinking her eyes. She sighed a bit as she tried to sit up. "That could hurt," she muttered, rubbing the back of head. It took her a minute to realize that she was being watched. She glowered at everybody. "What?" The other outer senshi began to revive as well.

Sailor Saturn immediately sat up, blinking a bit. "What the…" She then noticed that she was awake. She also noticed that she was no longer in a twelve-year-old's body. She looked at least sixteen. "What? Last time I checked, I was dying. Or was that before…oh, forget it. I can hardly remember anything as it is."

Pluto stood up, a bit shaky. She began looking around, a look of pure consternation on her face. Neptune didn't say anything. She just studied the other senshi who were staring at them as if they had seen a ghost.

"Um, we have company," she whispered to Uranus.

"Yeah, I noticed." She stood up and glared at the others. "Is anyone going to tell us what's going on here?"

"Are you telling me you guys don't remember being the crystal senshi?" Maker asked, dumbfounded. It was Saturn's turn to look surprise.

"I can hardly remember when I suddenly took a four year age spurt, let alone remembering being a crystal senshi," she muttered. "When'd you three get here anyway? Oh man, where's my Silence Glaive?"

Uranus seemed to be concentrating for a second. The space sword shimmered into her hand. "Okay, there's my talisman. Now would someone please tell us what's happening?" Leo stepped forward, her hips swaying a bit.

"Long time, no see," she said. Saturn cocked an eyebrow as her Silence Glaive appeared in her hand.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Sailor Leo, a zodiac senshi," Leo replied, with a bit of a bow. Irony filled her voice. Pluto sighed a bit.

"Sailor Leo, you haven't changed one bit," she murmured. She turned to Scorpio and a ghost of her old smile fluttered across her face. "Sailor Scorpio, may I have my time key?" Scorpio nodded and concentrated a bit. The time key disappeared from her hands and into Pluto's. "_Arigatou_."

"Oh, so the zodiac senshi are the bad guys, huh?" Uranus said with an interesting amusement in her voice. "Figures, since the good guys are tied up. World Shaking!" she called out, raising the space sword high above her head. A familiar golden globe appeared on the tip and exploded into numerous orbs as Uranus swung the sword down.

"Deep Submerge!" Neptune yelled, as the sacred mirror appeared in her hands. A huge tidal wave shot from the surface of the mirror. The three attacks combined into one, slamming into the zodiac senshi.

"Owww!" Cancer groaned. "That's it! I'm outta of here. It's too many against one!" With that, she disappeared in a shimmering of pink sparkles. Aries rolled her eyes as the other zodiac senshi disappeared as well.

"Sore losers," Saturn muttered, but there was a smile on her face. She examined her new body. "Hey, I look sixteen. That's cool."

"I still don't get it," Uranus said, shaking her head. The space sword disappeared. Neptune shrugged.

"I guess it's one of those mid-life crisis things," she said. Uranus cocked an eyebrow.

"At our age?"

"Um, good to have you four back and everything," Mars snapped. "But could someone please let us down from these trees?" Uranus turned back to the inner senshi and smirked a bit.

"Ooops, sorry," she said. Capricorn shook her head as she walked into the moonlight.

"Don't be," she said. Uranus stared at her for a second and seemed as though she was about to say something. But she just shook her head and said nothing. The stones around the senshi dissolved into thin air, freeing all of them. Chibi Moon immediately ran towards Pluto and Saturn.

"Pu! Hotaru-chan!" she yelled, wrapping Pluto in a hug. "Pu, I've missed you so much." Tears spilled down her cheeks. She felt a breeze run through the group, causing Pluto's green hair to brush against Chibi Moon's cheeks.

"Hey, do you guys realize you have to add a year onto your ages?" Venus suddenly asked. Neptune looked surprised.

"Why?"

"Well, you've been dead for a year and you do look older so…" Jupiter and Mars clapped their hands over Venus' mouth. But it was too late. The four outer senshi looked up.

"Dead?" Saturn breathed.

"A year?" Uranus added. "What's going on here?"

"Well…it's kind of a long story…"

* * *

Random author's note: How many times did I wince during this chapter…? Argh… 


	15. Episode 233

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

****

Episode 233: The talisman is found. Final battles draw near

"Wait," Michiru said slowly. The senshi had all gathered at the Hikawa Jinja filling the outer senshi in on what had been going in the past couple of weeks with the zodiac senshi, the sacrifice, and the three senshi of the revelation. "Are you telling us that we were alive before now, fighting on the evil side?"

"Yup," Usagi said, swinging her legs over the side of the front porch. "We won't take any offense to what you guys did."

"Well, that about explains it all," Haruka groaned. "We die, but aren't reborn. We somehow get involved in this little conspiracy threat with the zodiac counterparts of our allies. They brainwash us and take away all of our memories while we go around looking for a talisman. Meanwhile, you guys meet up with two bad guys gone good and a sacrificial soldier and find out about our past lives. As in more than one. And when we finally do get our memories back, we don't remember a thing about all of this? Am I correct?"

"Well, when you put it like that…" Mako said slowly. Haruka grinned at her and winked, showing that she had just been kidding. Mako was flustered by the action and blushed. Haruka laughed at her embarrassment. Michiru gave her the evil eye, but she was smiling as well.

"You know…" Chibiusa said slowly. She stopped for a second and blushed. "Never mind." Setsuna looked up.

"Go ahead, Small Lady," she urged. "Don't leave us waiting." Chibiusa grinned.

"I was about to say it's almost like old times," she said, resting her chin on the Luna Ball. "Just a year ago. All of us, the ten senshi of the solar system, were here at this shrine. No offense Hogoshi-chan. It seems so long ago, more than just a year. And we've all changed since then…"

"Yeah…" Minako said slowly and the group became very quiet. "Just like old times. You kind of feel a tinge of regret that you can't be in the old times in more. It was like we were more innocent and naïve back then. I wonder if that tinge will ever go away."

"Even now, it's only a dim memory of those days," Ami added, folding her hands in her lap. "It's like those people weren't us." Usagi frowned.

"But they were us," she insisted. "Don't try to make everything seem not real. This is our lives, _minna_. We are the senshi of the planets. Whether we like it or not, we're going to get reborn and repeat those old days. So don't be so depressed about it." Haruka stared at Usagi and laughed.

"Someone hasn't changed one bit," she said. Usagi blushed.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I think she means that you're still the happy-go-lucky-no-frowns-here type of girl," Michiru said, giggling.

Hotaru giggled as well. "Speaking of changing, Papa was very surprised to see me. I hope I didn't scare him too much." Setsuna smiled.

"Yeah, his twelve-year old daughter comes back after being gone for a year and is a sixteen-year old," she joked. Hotaru grinned. She didn't look as pale and sickly as she once did. Her cheeks were full of color and looked as fit as any of the other girls did.

"Explain that," Michiru said with a laugh. "Wow, this is almost too confusing."

"True," Setsuna said quietly. She shrugged her shoulders. "And with the others here…" She took a glance at her watch and frowned. "As it is, we're going to be late if we continue here." Hotaru groaned.

"Papa won't be mad if we're a few minutes late Setsuna-mama," Hotaru complained.

"I wonder if an hour is a few minutes, Hotaru-chan," she said. Hotaru got the point very quickly. Her large violet eyes got even larger. She turned to Chibiusa and waved.

"See ya, Chibiusa-chan," Hotaru said. "Maybe we can go shopping later this week." She then looked up at Haruka and Michiru. "You two will be home for dinner, right? Papa expects you two to make it." Haruka groaned.

"Probably wants to do more experiments on us," she muttered. "Tell him we'll be back shortly." Hotaru nodded and she left to catch up with Setsuna. Hogoshi turned to the couple with everyone else, questions in her eyes.

"You guys are staying with Hotaru-chan's father?" she asked. Michiru nodded.

"Actually, after Hotaru-chan came home and explained to him what had happened, he kindly offered us a place to stay," she explained. She sighed a bit. "Under the condition that he can do some sort of tests on us to make sure we're all right. Ugh, some of those tests are too much." She shivered a bit.

"Speaking of tests, Hogoshi-chan, did you ever get a notice about that academy over in America?" Mako asked. "I checked the mail lately and haven't found anything for you. So I was wondering if you might have picked it up."

"Academy?" Haruka asked, looking at Hogoshi who had suddenly turned a very interesting shade of pink. "Hogoshi-chan, you have some explaining to do."

"Well, it was two months before the fighting started," Hogoshi said slowly. "My _sensei_ were encouraging me to apply to this university over in America. So I applied and, well…" Michiru and Haruka were leaning forward intently now.

"Well what?"

"Well, I don't know," Hogoshi mumbled. "They haven't sent me a rejection or an acceptance letter yet. I don't really care. I'd be happy to stay here in Tokyo with everybody else."

"Wow, Hogoshi-chan!" Rei exclaimed, hugging the girl. "You'd be able to study abroad." Hogoshi shrugged.

"I don't know," she replied. _Especially now since those four are back_. But she kept the thought to herself and managed a shy grin as if she were just being modest about the entire thing.

Haruka sighed a bit, taking a glance at her watch. "We had better head back. Tomoe-san may be kind, but he is rather strict. C'mon, Michiru."

"Okay," she said as the couple walked toward the front gate. She waved back to the inner senshi. "_Ja ne_!"

"_Ja ne_, Michiru-san!" Usagi yelled back. She turned back to the inner senshi. "Oh man! It would have been weird if Haruka-san and Michiru-san had been the same ages they were when they died. Then, they'd be the same age as us. Weird!"

"Yeah, well, they're eighteen now and are going to attend third-year high school next year at the Katsura Academy downtown," Rei said matter-of-factly. She held the broom in her hands firmly as she put her weight against it. "We could attend that university too, y'know." All eyes turned to Rei.

"Are you for real?" Mako asked, looking at the raven-haired priestess in a new light. She grinned. "I heard that academy is one of the best here. That's the school Haruka-san had been talking about a year ago. A lot of geniuses go there. . Hey, Ami-chan, you'd fit right in." Ami laughed.

"Did any of you know that Tomoe-san is the vice-principal of that school?" she asked. "It would probably be easy to get Haruka-san and Michiru-san into that school since they're staying with the Tomoe-san." Usagi shrugged her shoulders.

"I'd like to go there," she said. "They have cute uniforms." Everyone stared at Usagi before facefaulting.

"Um, Usagi-chan…" Chibiusa groaned. But she immediately cheered up. "Hey everyone! Mommy says I can stay in the past awhile longer since Pu and the others are back."

"She's too kind."

"Probably just forgot what date to pick you up," Rei said smoothly. Usagi turned to her, her eyes blazing.

"What'dya mean by that?" she screamed. Rei stuck out her tongue.

"You always forget where to pick Chibiusa up," she retorted. Usagi promptly stuck out her tongue.

"You're so mean, Rei-chan!"

"I'm more mature…"

"Why I oughta…" The two high school girls immediately engaged in a tongue fight. The other five girls rolled their eyes.

"Well, it's still nice to have those four back," Artemis said slowly. He was sitting next to Minako. He looked up at his blonde owner. "So, have you told them about all the technical stuff?" Rei and Usagi instantly stopped fighting. They turned to Artemis, their eyes huge.

"Technical stuff?"

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't," Luna groaned. "The new powers, the complete story of the past, the whole deal with the three new senshi? And even more basic than that? If you don't remember clearly, both Haruka-san and Michiru-san were famous when they were alive a year ago. What would people think if they suddenly showed up from being missing?" The girls turned to look at each other as the information began to sink in.

"Um…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I can't believe the outer senshi are back!" Cancer growled, tapping the Oracle Mace with her fingers. "Now we're really outnumbered!"

"What are we going to do? The end of the revelation is only two weeks away," Pisces muttered. "If neither side finds the stupid talisman, then the time will end as we know it. We must have the scepter!"

"Look, let's face who we're up against here," Libra said logically, fingering with one of her blonde braids nervously. "It's the planet senshi: Moon, Chibi Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, Destiny, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Mercury. And now, Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn. And the starlight senshi too, Star Fighter, Star Maker, and Star Healer. Then those traitors, Capricorn, Scorpio and their little Sailor Midnight friend. That's nineteen senshi. Against the princess and us eight. They have twice as many as we do!"

"Hmmm, well, not all is lost," Leo said slowly, folding her hands on her lap. "There's still a chance that the tables might turn our way."

"A chance, eh?" Aquarius asked. She looked a bit interested. "And this chance would be what?"

"Well, I still have my metamorphosis power," Leo responded. "If I could just get one of the planetary soldier's powers and kidnap at least some of them, the odds will wager on the luck of the draw."

"And which senshi did you have in mind?" Aries asked, she was sitting next to Sagittarius. Both senshi had been quiet during the entire meeting. Leo grinned a bit.

"Well, any of them will do," she said slowly. "But my mind was definitely either on the little baby soldier, Chibi Moon, any of the outers, or the Starlights."

"Why them?" Sagittarius asked, wrinkling her nose. Leo grinned some more.

"Well Chibi Moon is so easy to figure out," Leo began. "All she does is argue with Sailor Moon and when she's not arguing with her, she acts just like her. That would be entirely too easy. The outers would also be easy since the inner senshi haven't seen them in a year so their actions would be debatable. Same with the Starlights. The inners haven't seen them in a year either."

"Fair game with any of them, I guess," Cancer mumbled. She stretched. "Take your pick, Leo." Leo snapped her fingers and there was a flash of silver and gold light. Standing before them was Sailor Star Healer. The white-haired soldier grinned.

"How about that?" she asked, tossing her ponytail. "No one ever suspects the short ones." Sighing, she looked at her outfit. "It'll have to do. Oh, well. Cancer, Aquarius, Pisces, try to kidnap the real Sailor Star Healer. I'll go after little Chibi Moon and bring her back. That should set off everybody's nerves."

"Wait, Leo," Aries snapped. Healer spun around and tried to look innocent. Finally, she gave up and stuck out her tongue.

"What?"

"What do the rest of us do while you four carry out this plan, huh? Aries demanded. Healer shrugged.

"Try to finish the plan, I guess," she said, her snappish green eyes deep in thought. She laughed a bit. "Why don't the rest of you go after the sailor leaders? That should tear apart the group."

"The sailor leaders?"

"Sailor Moon is the entire group's princess. Venus is the leader of the inner senshi, Uranus is the leader of the outer senshi, and Star Fighter is the leader of the Starlights. Do the math." With that, she disappeared in a flash of silver light.

"Great," Virgo muttered for the first time. "Like any of those senshi are gonna let us get anywhere close to their beloved princess. Man, I wish Leo could give us the transformation power. We'd be running this world in no time flat."

"Whatever," Cancer groaned as she stood up. She looked around at her fellow zodiac senshi. "Well, we had better start. Maybe we should just go with the first part of the plan...maybe we can actually get a few bonus points for helping."

"Fine," Pisces grumbled. "Better than sitting around here all day doing nothing." Aries rolled her eyes.

"That's what we've been doing anyway."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Papa! I'm home!" A dark-haired girl shot through the door and up some stairs. A man with prematurely white hair stood at the top of the stairs. He smiled as she wrapped him in a hug. "Hi, Papa!"

"Welcome home, Hotaru," the man said. He looked up and saw a tall, beautiful woman at the bottom of the stairs, smiling modestly. "And you too, Setsuna-san." Setsuna smiled a greeting.

"Um, where are the 'kids'?" Tomoe asked when he noticed Haruka and Michiru weren't there.

"On their way," Hotaru responded. "I think they're afraid of you doing more tests on them." Tomoe sighed and Setsuna giggled at the remark.

"I just want to make sure that this is no backfiring chance," he explained as his daughter rushed up past him to her bedroom. "If there are any side effects, I want to be ready for it."

"Side effects?" Setsuna asked, with a raised eyebrow. "Do you expect us to turn into some kind of monsters?" Tomoe blushed.

"Not exactly. I just-"

"Hello!" Haruka called from the front door. Michiru was right behind her. "Hey, Setsuna-chan! Did you know that Hogoshi-chan is going to a…" Haruka looked up at Tomoe and her eyes got wide in mock terror. "Oh, no."

"She's going to a what?" Setsuna asked, looking interested.

"Well, we don't know for sure," Michiru said with a sigh. "She might be going to an academy over in America."

"That's wonderful," Setsuna replied.

"Yeah, wonderful," Haruka muttered. "I am never going to die for a year again. You miss out on everything that's been going on in people's lives." Tomoe smiled.

"So does that mean you'd like to get tested on tonight?" he asked. Haruka gave him a look, but managed a sarcastic smile.

"I'll pass."

"Too bad, you're going anyway." Haruka groaned and went into the living room. Michiru smiled, shook her head and followed the taller girl. Setsuna sighed.

"Not tonight, Tomoe-san," she said, beginning to walk towards the living room. "We're all very tired." Tomoe sighed a bit, rubbing his hand through his white hair.

"Weeell, we'll let it slide this time." Setsuna flashed a grateful smile.

"Tell Hotaru-chan that we're in the living room," she said as she walked into the living room. Tomoe sighed. This was difficult. Living with four revived sailor senshi, one being his daughter, one cold and sarcastic, one quiet but sweet, and one like a mother to his daughter, but was the guardian of time. This was enough to send anybody to be early with a headache.

Sighing, he walked down the upstairs hall to his daughter's room. He gently knocked on the door. "Hotaru?"

"Yep?"

"The others would like you to meet them down in the living room."

"Are you sure? You're not going to do any tests tonight, are you?"

Another sigh. "No, Setsuna-san talked me out of it."

"Okay, I'm coming!" With that, the door swung open and Hotaru stepped out. She grinned at her father. "Tomorrow, we're going to have to go shopping. Nothing in my room fits me anymore." Tomoe smiled.

"We're going to have to go shopping for all of you," he said. Hotaru laughed and ran downstairs, yelling, "don't start without me!"

"Kids…" Tomoe murmured. "I had one and now I suddenly get three more." He walked down the rest of the hallway to his own room.

Hotaru skidded into the living room. "_Gomen_." The older girls were already sitting and waiting. Michiru was sitting comfortably in a chair near a large window, looking out at the dark sky. It was threatening to rain some time soon. Setsuna was seated on a couch near the middle of the room, her eyes in deep thought. The garnet orb was floating in her hands as she studied it intensely. Haruka was leaning against the wall behind Michiru, also looking outside. "So? What did you want me for?"

"Already awakened and I'm having odd premonitions," Setsuna said slowly, closing her eyes. The orb glowed, as if agreeing with her. "The fabric of time is really distorted. The entire scheme of things against the evil and pure universe can be judged on a single turn of the wheel of fate." Michiru looked up.

"You mean, the battle can still go either way?" she asked. There was a loud, booming noise outside. Hotaru looked out the large picture window, only to see rain pelting against the pavement outside.

"Yes," Setsuna said. She looked at the ring on her hand. Hogoshi had given all four of them the rings, vaguely explaining something about a secondary transformation. "I don't think that the side of goodness will have a great advantage this time around. The zodiac senshi have forever been a constant source of problems for us."

"Is there any way to prevent it?" Hotaru asked, her violet eyes growing icy, like the planet Saturn. "If evil does take over, you know that I'll have to do something to prevent it. Call on the Silence or my rebirth attack."

"We can only hope that it doesn't come," Haruka said quietly. "We have to hope that Sailor Moon has enough power to draw back the black energies."

"This battle is not wagering around Sailor Moon's power," Setsuna whispered. The other three girls turned to her.

"What?" Michiru asked. "What do you mean by that? Someone else is going to save us?" Setsuna nodded. Her cherry-colored eyes were dark in thought.

"We are going to play a very important role in this," she says as a crack of lightning lit up the sky outside. The sudden bolt of electricity made the room go dark. Only the light of the orb remained. "Something is going to happen. I feel it. We have to find a new light before the end of the world comes. We have to buy the others time. We have to protect them, no matter what."

"No matter what," Hotaru whispered and the entire group fell silent. Michiru finally looked up, the grayish light of the storm lighting up her pale face. There was a dark glint in her eyes that was only made worse when lighting lit up the sky outside.

"We can't do much about it now," she said. Haruka put her hands on Michiru's shoulders. Michiru looked up at her. "We just got our memories back and we can't rush into things. If anything, we should stay low. If everything backfired on us, and we died…I don't know if Usagi-chan and the others would be able to handle it, if what they said was true." Haruka nodded.

"You're right," she agreed. Her dark aqua eyes were full of steel. "There's not much we can do except hope that our Messiah of light, our moon princess, will be able to pull through. This might be our toughest fight ever." Michiru gently touched Haruka's hand.

"Yeah," Hotaru agreed, reaching into her pocket. She felt the hard, but cool surface of her henshin pen. She touched it slightly and closed her eyes. Her memories were so vivid of this lifetime, but the ones before were dim. It was like the Silence that had once threatened her world. Hotaru remembered Hogoshi clearly and even remembered the last battle she had been in. But, the Sailor Twins? The entire purpose of their mission was lost on her. She could have sworn that she remembered them, but all of her words spoken during that battle of stolen souls seemed to have been spoken by someone else. They had wanted revenge, but revenge for what? Her memories were too cluttered to even begin sorting out.

The four girls turned back to the large window to wait out the storm. Waiting. The storm could continue forever and the Silence afterwards, the calm, would be deafening.

Something would have to be done.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wake up, _baka_!"

Seiya groaned and promptly threw a pillow into Yaten's face. Yaten grabbed the pillow off the floor and hit Seiya upside the head with it. Seiya opened one eye and gave the white-haired young man a deadly look. "I can't even sleep around here?"

"No." Seiya scowled at the remark and sat up. He looked outside at the pelting rain. He sighed a bit. Just what he needed, a gray, dismal day. Yaten smiled and decided to take the moment to tease the black-haired teenager.

"So, do you still have a crush on Usagi-chan?"

"What?" Seiya yelled, lunging at Yaten. Taiki poked his head in the room. Seiya was reaching over, trying to choke Yaten, who had fallen backwards off the bed. He shook his head.

"Do I have to be the mature one?" he asked. Yaten groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Are you trying to kill me, _baka_-Seiya?" he muttered, getting to his feet. Seiya rolled his eyes.

"Excuse me, but I'm not the one who came into this room and woke up a sleeping person and then asked if he still had a crush from a year ago!" he retorted. Taiki smiled modestly.

"Well, could you two keep it down? I'm on the phone." Seiya and Yaten both gave each other a look and turned back to Taiki.

"Is it Ami-san?" they asked in unison. Taiki blushed and shook his head.

"No, no," he said and quickly left the room. Seiya groaned as he got out of bed. His eyes were still on Yaten.

"I have to remember we're not famous anymore," he said. "It couldn't be a shrieking fan." Yaten shrugged a bit, tossing the pillow back on the bed. He immediately slumped down on the edge.

"Yeah, we're not the Three Lights anymore," he said slowly. Sighing, a smile found a way to his face. "That had to have been the most exciting time in our entire lives. Nothing has and will never be quite so interesting."

"Really?" Seiya asked. "What was so interesting about coming from another solar system into this one since our planet had been destroyed by Sailor Galaxia? What was interesting about taking on the form of guy idols in order to find our princess? And then meeting Usagi-chan and the others, who were the guardians of this planet? Plus that huge fight against Galaxia where all of Sailor Moon's beloved guardians had their star seeds taken and died? And the outcome was still good? Yeah, we lead one interesting lifestyle." Yaten rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean," he muttered. "Chaos was the father of all evil. If it was destroyed…"

"But it wasn't," Seiya interrupted. "That's just the problem. Didn't Usagi-chan say that Chaos went back into the hearts of everyone, where it belonged? Chaos is still out there. And until it's put away, we'll have to worry about more enemies emerging from out of nowhere."

"It seems to me that this battle revolves around the planetary senshi. The zodiac senshi are their counterparts. The only thing that confuses me is that they came to our planet looking for the taboo talisman. If it is always performed on Earth, then why come to our planet? I doubt that we were part of Serenity's court in the past. We're in different worlds. Literally."

"Good point. If what you say is true, then there are sailor senshi on each planet. Or at least some for a solar system. I mean, this planet has ten. More than ten by now, if you count Tuxedo Kamen, Sailor Destiny, and those three senshi of the revelation."

"Or what if there isn't? What if the entire universe is only protected by those fifteen and us three? If that's so, the universe is doomed."

"Oh, cheer up," Seiya piped up. "That stuff is too confusing to even give a second thought to." Yaten was silent.

__

If that were true, then did we only meet the senshi in this lifetime? Are we three the incarnation of our past selves, if we ever had any? Does our timeline run along theirs? Sailor Pluto is the guardian of time, through and through. Is this just a one solar system thing or the entire universe…?

"Yaten-chan!" Seiya yelled. Yaten snapped his head up.

"What?"

"Telephone," Taiki said quietly. He was standing in the doorway, holding out the phone. Yaten shrugged and took it.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know," Taiki said with an identical shrug. "They just said it was an emergency. Sounds like your twin." Yaten looked a bit confused and held up the phone. He took a deep breath.

"Hello?" There was a pause. Yaten looked a bit surprised. "Um, wait! Slow down! You're talking too fast and too much like me!" Another pause. "No, I'm just visiting some friends. I live somewhere else." Pause. Yaten's green eyes got large. "No! Forget I said anything! Who are you anyway?" A pause and then a sigh from Yaten. "Very nice to talking to you, Iyea-san. Why'd you call?" A moment of silence. Yaten looked a bit bored. "Could you please slow down?" Hysterical yelling on the other end. Yaten pulled the phone away from his ear a bit. "Okay, okay. I'll meet you there." Another pause. "Fine, but I don't see why…great, she hung up."

"Interesting conversation, Yaten-chan," Taiki said with amusement in his voice. "What was that all about?" Yaten shrugged.

"Some sort of interview," he replied. "It's for a charity, I guess. She's suppose to gather some ideas about people who live in the area…at least, that's what I could make out what she was saying. I just don't understand why'd she want me to meet her in a park with a downpour like that going on?"

"Are you going?" Yaten turned to Seiya in surprise.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I? If we're not famous, I don't have to worry about getting jumped by fans." Seiya and Taiki exchanged grins and looked back at their shorter friend.

"In case the zodiac senshi show up," Yaten muttered. "I'm taking my henshin locket."

"Call back up if you need any help," Seiya added for his own amusement. "Take a coat and don't talk to strangers!" Yaten rolled his eyes.

"Yes, _mother_," he replied and walked out of the room. Taiki smiled.

"You two must have a very close friendship," he commented. Seiya shrugged.

"Not my fault he's annoying."

"I heard that!" Yaten shouted from down the hall. Taiki and Seiya gave each other stern looks before bursting out in laughter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Michiru collapsed on her bed, totally exhausted. "This is pathetic," she mumbled to herself as she looked out at the rain. It had turned ominously dark. She hoped there wouldn't be a natural disaster such as a flood or mudslide. "I haven't been anywhere all day and I'm tired." She folded her arms beneath her head, cold from the lack of heat in her room.

She had agreed that the meeting had been rather depressing, but her life was already as screwed as one could be. Being a soldier of the outer solar system, a little more depression wouldn't kill her.

Sighing, Michiru's eyes fluttered shut. She could still hear the roaring tides of Neptune in her mind. They had never left her, even if previous memories had. All she needed in life was her music, Haruka, and those ever swelling aqua tides that washed away the white shores…something to be her light and show her the way…

Suddenly, Michiru saw the Silence, cutting its way through the Earth, driving everything into a bleak, dark oblivion. She tried screaming, but harsh, cold winds that slapped her drove the words back down her throat, choking her. As Michiru tried desperately to gather her breath, the darkness tore up the ocean, drying it. Michiru looked around helplessly. No one was there with her. The most confusing feeling of loss, failure, and horror swept through her, ripping at her already broken heart. And there was a person, smiling through the entire scene as the world was overtaken by a complete and utter darkness. The Silence clawed at her, burning her, taunting her…

"NOOOOO!" Michiru screamed, snapping her eyes open. She wasn't even aware she had been sleeping until she gazed around at the clock near the window in her room. 11:58. When did it get so late?

"Are you all right?" a deep voice asked from beside her. Michiru turned around and saw Haruka standing over her. The blonde's eyes were filled with worry and apprehension.

"Haruka!" Michiru cried, wrapping her arms around her waist. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she began to recall the horrid dream. Haruka gently stroked her hair before sitting down on her bed. "It was awful."

"You dreamt about the Silence too?" Haruka asked, her low tones full of sorrow and remorse. Michiru looked up in surprise.

"You had the same dream?" she asked. Haruka nodded.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's weird. The Silence has been over and done with for two years now. Why start dreaming about it now?" Michiru sighed back more tears and looked into her lover's eyes.

"I don't think that was the Silence," she said resting her head on Haruka's shoulder. It was Haruka's turn to look surprise.

"If not, then what was it?" she asked, touching Michiru's hand softly. Michiru shrugged and leaned against Haruka. It was the total, utter silence of the entire event that scared her the most. But it wasn't the Silence she knew. This was different and more complete. She could feel the dark energies in her bones, vibrating off of the Silence and into her own heart.

"It was utter silence," Michiru whispered, seeing the image replay in her mind repeatedly. "Something about it was more violent and more…more…"

"Destructive?" Haruka interjected. Michiru nodded.

"Yes. And then, there was that person. She looked as if she were glad that everything was happening. Haruka…I think that's the alternative future. If the other universe wins, I think…I think that's what the future will be like."

"That can't happen," Haruka growled, curling her hand into a fist. "We have to protect the princess. Crystal Tokyo must exist or the entire future of this planet is in peril." Michiru sighed a bit, looking down at her hands. Both she and Haruka were fully dressed, having gone straight to bed without a second thought of changing.

"What are we going to do?" Michiru whispered. "We may be sailor soldiers and the princess' protectors, but we can't prevent total disaster by ourselves." Haruka ran a hand through her sandy blonde hair.

"We should go on ahead," she whispered. "It's our duty as the outer soldiers to protect the princess and the inner soldiers."

"What about Setsuna-chan and Hotaru-chan?"

"They'll have to stay behind and watch the princess. We can't all go. Just you and me. We've done things like this before. We can put a dent into the zodiac's forces and then Sailor Moon can come and try to make her best of the situation."

"But, what about the talisman? It would be useless if we went there without any backup plan, Haruka."

"Remember what Setsuna-chan said. We'll buy the others time. If we can get the zodiac senshi off their mission for awhile, they'll have more time to search…the talisman. I wonder…" Michiru looked up.

"You wonder what?"

"The talisman is hidden in someone's spirit chalice. The three talisman were hidden in the pure heart crystals. I just have a theory that if our three talisman were inside our bodies, wouldn't it make sense that the person who uses the talisman would hold it?"

"Good point. We can only hope that Sailor Moon will have enough power to put the zodiac senshi in their place once and for all. Even if we beat the zodiac senshi and don't find the talisman, that's one less problem we'll have to worry about. And if we accomplish both, we're safe for another thousand years."

"So, the same rules are back in place?" Haruka asked, her eyes hardening. "One of us will survive to complete the mission. Risk anything and everything to accomplish the goal." Michiru nodded and touched Haruka's cheek gently.

"I won't lose you again," she whispered. "If we die, we die together." Haruka smiled gently and touched Michiru's hand. She leaned forward and gently kissed the aqua-haired beauty on the cheek. Michiru turned her head at the last minute so that they kissed sweetly and passionately on the lips. Michiru put her arms around Haruka's neck and wrapped her in an embrace. Everything they wanted to say, but found no words to say them with was put into that one simple kiss.

Slowly yet surely, the two backed away from each other. Haruka took a deep breath. "I love you, Michiru."

"I love you too, Haruka," Michiru responded. Then, the moment was broken. Their smiles disappeared as their hands simultaneously reached into their jacket pockets and two henshin pens were produced. Both girls stood up and held their henshin pens in the air.

"Uranus crystal power…"

"Neptune crystal power…"

"…make UP!" The dark room was suddenly ablaze with gold and aqua lights. Two sailor senshi appeared in the midst of the room. Uranus sighed.

"We have to leave Setsuna-chan and Hotaru-chan a note," she breathed. Neptune nodded and walked over to a desk near the back of the room. There was a pad of paper lying on the desk, but no pen. She opened one of the drawers, where a pen rolled to the front. Uncapping it, she put the paper in the gray night so that she could see what she was writing. She began to write in her script-like Japanese.

**__**

To Setsuna-chan and Hotaru-chan:

**__**

This is Michiru. Haruka and I have gone out to try to put a dent into the zodiac's forces. Don't worry about us. Stay behind and protect the princess. Tell her only if you must. We're going to try to make it easier for her to fight the zodiac senshi. Until we meet again, arigatou, Setsuna, Hotaru.

"Does that tell them too much?" Neptune asked, showing the letter to Uranus. The blonde soldier shook her head after reading the letter.

"No, not at all," she said. "Leave it in Setsuna-chan's room. She'll know how to handle it. We used to do things like this all the time." Neptune nodded and walked out the room. Uranus sighed as she sat down on the bed, facing the door. Something was telling her not to go on the mission.

__

But I have to, she argued with her dim conscious. _My duty is to protect the inner soldiers and the princess. I'm not giving up my destiny because I was just resurrected. Whatever it will take, I'll protect her._

"Ready, Uranus?" Neptune asked, waiting in the doorway. Uranus smiled with amusement.

"That was quick."

"I ran. Come on. There's no time to waste." Neptune paused for a second. "Did it stop raining?" Uranus looked outside. It was still gray out and the window was covered with raindrops. But no new drops were appearing and Uranus shook her head.

"Yeah. I think the storm has been over for awhile now."

"Okay, let's go then."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm so happy the outer senshi are back," Yomicha whispered softly, looking out the window. Kei nodded. Dark gray clouds covered the night sky, but storm had long since stopped. The two were sitting on the couch in the living room. Megumi had gone to bed early after returning to her real age.

"Yeah," Kei agreed. "I mean, I don't really know them. But, do they still hate you?" Yomicha shrugged.

"Probably," she said. "The minute Lady Pluto gets back her memories, she'll be trying to kill me. Lady Uranus and Lady Neptune will soon follow." Kei hugged the taller girl softly. Yomicha stroked her hair and smiled. Kei grinned.

"I'm so sorry about your past," she said. "I hope that one day they'll be able to forgive you."

"Think about it Kei," Yomicha said with a sigh. "They've hated me for lifetimes, over a million years. There's no need for them to change now." Kei's face dropped.

"And Pluto?"

"She'll do the sacrifice since it's her job to open the time gate." Kei gently squeezed Yomicha's hand.

"I have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"You said yourself that this lifetime is different from all the others. Could it be possible that this may be the lifetime where the other universe might win?" Yomicha looked a little taken aback by the question. She finally decided to shrug.

"I don't know," she said honestly.

"Will the scepter be found?"

"I…" Yomicha stopped suddenly. Her eyes got huge as she looked at Kei. "Did you just feel that?" Kei frowned and looked as if she were concentrating.

"You mean that feeling of darkness just a sec ago?" Kei asked, twirling a strand of purple hair. She looked around the living room. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the room, but Yomicha stood up suddenly. Her slate-blue eyes were ablaze in some sort of worry.

"I think…I think…" she whispered, closing her eyes. She clasped her hands together as if she were praying. Her brow furrowed as she began concentrating. A cerulean sign appeared on her forehead as she unclasped her hands. Her eyes got even wider. "Uranus…Neptune…" she murmured. She turned to Kei. "I think they're heading into trouble." Kei looked surprised.

"How would you know?"

"I've known all the senshi long enough to make anyone's head spin," Yomicha replied, pulling out her henshin pen. "If I spent the first half of a lifetime destroying them and breaking their spirits, then I can at least protect them each time they're reborn."

__

"Someone's calling my name…"

__

"I hold a light…hidden within the darkness of my soul…my heart…"

__

"…and I can't respond. The darkness is overwhelming…"

__

"…I can't break free of my own destiny, my prison…"

__

"…if I could just be free…like the wind…"

__

"…like the ocean…"

Yomicha took a deep breath. She knew who had said that so many millennia ago. It was so final when they had whispered that. If they knew what their future would be like…

Taking another deep breath, she looked towards Kei. "Wake Megumi-chan and tell her that we're going to do a little exploring." Kei smiled as she stood up. Before going into the door that led to Megumi's room, she smiled towards Yomicha.

"I hope we find the talisman soon," she whispered. Yomicha looked a little surprised. Finding the talisman would mean her death. Why would she be so eager to find it? She still flashed a grateful smile to Kei before she disappeared into the room.

Yomicha looked around the living room. She felt in her heart, rather than her mind, that Uranus and Neptune were going into a dangerous venture that might even mean their lives. But, that same feeling of hope that she had felt the night before when the outer senshi were awakened was arousing within her.

"I feel it," she whispered. She looked outside and felt more trouble. "And it's not just Uranus and Neptune. Sailor Star Healer is also in trouble. What are the zodiac senshi up to?" A door opened a creak and Megumi, Kei, and Selene stepped out. The little red-haired girl was wearing cute lavender pajamas with clouds all over them. She looked up at Yomicha sleepily.

"What's wrong, MichiMichi-chan?" she whispered, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Kei said we're going somewhere." Yomicha smiled.

"I'm terribly sorry Megumi-chan," she said softly, "but I have a feeling Uranus, Neptune, and Star Healer are in some sort of danger." Megumi's eyes lit up.

"You felt it too?" she asked. "I thought I was just dreaming!" Yomicha shook her head and raised her henshin pen in the air. The dark energy swelled up inside of her and she felt the evil being released into the star part of the _henshin_ pen. The circles on the star shone black, not blue as they once did. Yomicha sighed. It was going to be another one of those transformations where the dark energies would overwhelm the pure ones. She sighed as she allowed the darkness to overcome her.

"Capricorn zodiac power, make UP!" Her latest transformations were getting more violent then they used to. Even the words seemed to be harsh and bitter and the intense rhythm of her transformation was nearly blood curling. Perhaps...perhaps this _would_ be the lifetime when destiny would take a turn for the worse.

The light dimmed away, revealing Sailor Capricorn. Her lips curved into a murderous and sly smile, completely unlike her real self. "Let's go after those two before they go and get killed." Megumi looked at Capricorn worriedly.

"MichiMichi-chan," she said, grabbing the taller girl's hand. Capricorn looked a bit annoyed at the touch, but stared at the girl respectively. The green eyes were harsh. "Your transformations have been getting more violent! Ever since you showed the senshi that past events, you've slowly been sinking back into that evil that our old teammates accustomed themselves too. We both have! We can't do that, for the sake of the _real_ princess."

The blank darkness in Capricorn's eyes didn't change. Her emotionless face didn't even budge. She just looked up from Megumi and over to Kei. Another smile found its way to her face. Kei glared back at her.

"Why are you doing this, Yomicha?" she asked spitefully. "You know I love you, but these transformations are changing you into some sort of monster. Where is the Yomicha I know?" Capricorn glowered at her.

"Kano Yomicha and Sailor Capricorn and Senshi Death," the silver-haired girl hissed in a silvery, chiming voice, "are three different people."

"I refuse to believe that!" Kei retorted. "Power down now. When you can get in control with your positive energies, then you can re-transform." Capricorn gave Kei an icy stare.

"Are you threatening me?" she seethed, balling her hand into a fist. "How would you like me to rearrange your face for you?" Tears sprang into Kei's eyes in horror. The evil in Yomicha was practically talking now.

"Yomicha!" she screamed. Capricorn crossed her arms and smirked.

"If you don't want Uranus and Neptune to die, you better shut your trap and transform," she replied. Kei stared at her in horror, but pulled out her locket. Sadly, she held it up in the air.

"Midnight zodiac power, make UP!" Megumi knew if she didn't have control, she might end up like Yomicha. You're still good inside, MichiMichi-chan. I won't let the evil take you away from me!

Sailor Midnight appeared, glowing from her sudden transformation. She glared at Capricorn. "Yomicha, don't turn on us…" Capricorn rolled her eyes and turned to Megumi.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked impatiently. "Transform!" Megumi flinched at the harshness of the words.

"Okay, okay," she said, pulling out her henshin pen. The moment she touched, she felt the darkness coursing through her violently. Inside, she let out a groan. This was going to be one of those lifetimes…

Shaking her head and raising the pen high above her head, she shouted, "Scorpio zodiac power, make UP!" Black light enveloped her, covering her in its evil grasp. Megumi didn't even struggle to cry out. Somehow, she felt like the evil was her only friend. She lit the darkness run through her bloodstream like a terrible disease. She was getting sick off of the darkness and felt herself growing taller.

"The original Scorpio is back," Scorpio whispered as she examined her body. Taller, as always. A seductive smile appeared on her face. "Let's go." Midnight's eyes got wide in horror.

"No, not you too," she gasped, lowering her head. "I give up." Capricorn looked at Kei for a moment. She felt words pushing to get out of her mouth, but the evil swallowed them up. But before the words were loss on her completely, they suddenly bubbled up and out her mouth.

"Don't ever give up, Kei," she whispered. Midnight looked up in surprise. Her red eyes met Capricorn's nearly blank slate-gray ones. There was only a touch of emotion in those dark eyes. Midnight was about to say something, but Capricorn turned away.

"Let's go," she mumbled before walking out the door. Scorpio tossed her hair snidely and followed. Midnight looked down at Selene who had a worried look on her face.

"Oh, Selene-chan!" she sobbed. The small cat looked up at her and felt sudden sadness. "Why are they suddenly so evil? Is it me?" Selene shook her head.

"Just let them be for awhile," she said. Midnight sobbed a bit more.

"I'm not strong enough to handle this," she whispered. Her red eyes looked completely lost. "What am I going to do?"

"Save them." Selene gently touched Midnight's hands with her cold, wet nose. Her purple eyes looked deep in thought. "I know this probably isn't the best time, Kei, but would you like to see my human form?" Midnight's eyes lit up in surprise as she looked at the tiny calico in front of her.

"You can turn into a human, Selene?" The cat sighed.

"Yes. I can," she replied, sitting on her haunches cutely. She looked up at Midnight. "All guardian cats can. I just haven't done my transformation in awhile. If I transform, then I might be able to help you with Capricorn and Scorpio." Midnight's eyes immediately filled with tears when her two allies' names were mentioned.

"Don't cry," Selene whispered. "Just watch." Midnight raised her head in time to see the glowing symbol on Selene's forehead glow gold before dimming to purple. The cat's body was immediately aglow in a white light. Slowly, yet surely, the cat began to grow taller. Her body straightened to a more graceful look and her legs got longer. Her arms stretched out, ending in long slender fingers. The tail disappeared as it was sucked back into her body. The cat ears diminished and Selene's hair on her head suddenly shot out like snakes, ending just below her knees. The rest of her features turned into a human. There was a flash of bright light.

Sailor Midnight looked up, astounded. Standing in front of her was a sleek, beautiful young woman. Her curly brown hair with golden highlights had two star-shaped _odango_s on the top of her head. The purple eyes on the beautiful face were still regarding Kei carefully. Her black minidress, that had the skirt the lengths of any of the sailor fukus, had chiffon silver and gold fabric peeking from beneath it. It also had a low neckline and a black sailor collar lined with gold piping. A gold ribbon was wrapped around her neck. Her black shoes were knee-length with silver lining and a gold midnight symbol on the tips. Her white gloves, lined in silver and gold, reached her elbows. A huge silver bow peaked from behind her skirt. The golden sign of midnight glowed on her forehead.

"Wow," Midnight breathed, bringing her hand to her heart. "You're beautiful, Selene…" Selene blushed, making her already pretty features astounding.

"We're going to solve this once and for all," Selene said softly, gently holding Midnight in her arms. "We won't let them become like their teammates." Midnight smiled.

"Thank you, Selene," she whispered. "Thank you so much."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yaten looked up at the dismal sky. The rain had stopped, but the way the sky looked… Yaten shook his head. This had better be one heck of an interview.

Shivering, Yaten leaned against a tree, hands in his pockets. He gazed around the park. It was muddy looking, thanks to the recent downpour. The green on the trees contrasted sharply against the dark gray sky and was briefly turned silver from a flash of lightning. Yaten felt a tad bit of annoyance for Iyea. Why would she have an interview in a park during a thunderstorm?

"Excuse me, sir," a voice said from behind him. Yaten spun around, only to see a small girl around his height staring back at him. The sharp green eyes looked all too familiar. The girl was wearing a heavy black overcoat. The hood was pulled over her head, casting most of her face in shadows. "Are you Kou Yaten?"

"Yeah," Yaten replied. Something about this girl…

The girl smiled. "I wasn't finished with my part. Are you Kou Yaten…Sailor Star Healer?" Yaten's eyes widened in shock.

"How'd you know?" he gasped. The girl pulled off her hood, revealing…Sailor Star Healer? Yaten's eyes grew even larger.

"You're…me?" he stammered, looking like he had seen a ghost. Healer smiled and for an instant the façade was dropped. Sailor Leo smiled at him, cocking her head to the side. Yaten glared at her. "Sailor Leo…what an unpleasant surprise." Leo laughed, her blue eyes shining.

"Of course," she said. She seemed to be looking past him as she tossed her hair. "Didn't you know that I could transform into anybody, including you? Isn't that wonderful?"

"A curse is more like it," Yaten muttered, reaching for his henshin locket. "I don't think you've met the real Sailor Star Healer in person. I'll be glad to show you to her." Leo smiled.

"You know, it's kind of cute," she said. "A cute young man transforming into a pretty sailor-suited fighter. And all sailor senshi are female." Yaten rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, we've been past that already," he said, pulling out his transformation device. "Healer star cosmos power, make UP!" Leo smiled gently as Yaten transformed. Sailor Star Healer appeared in her midst.

"I told you she'd like to meet you," Healer said, a smile crossing her face. "Star Sensitive In-" Before anything else could happen, Healer felt a sharp prick in her neck. She didn't even have time to cry out surprise as she fell to the ground, her vision distorted. Leo smirked.

"You definitely should've looked behind you, my dear," Leo whispered. Healer slowly turned around. Sailor Cancer and Sailor Aquarius were standing behind her. Cancer held a needle-like object in her hands. A smile crossed her pretty face.

"Hello, Sailor Star Healer!" she crowed. She touched the now empty needle glass. "Did that hurt?" Healer tried to concentrate on her words, but the ground was practically spinning from her own dizziness.

"Don't worry," Aquarius whispered in her ear. "It wasn't enough to kill you. Just enough to make you momentarily lose your balance." Healer glared at her and struggled to her feet. Her green eyes were blazing.

"I…don't know…how…many tricks…you can….pull," Healer struggled to say. "But…in the end…the princess of love…and justice…will… win…" Leo rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she muttered. Healer felt the entire world start to dim and fought for consciousness. Her knees suddenly buckled and the entire world went dark.

Aquarius caught the faltering soldier in her arms. She looked up at Leo. "How long will this keep her out?" Leo shrugged, looking at the unconscious soldier.

"How strong was the poison?"

"Not that strong," Cancer said. "It won't kill her and won't leave behind any dizzy spells or weaknesses." Leo nodded as her form shimmered. She shrunk a couple of inches and her golden hair paled. Her deep blue eyes turned to an intense green color and her sailor suit changed. Leo had transformed back into Sailor Star Healer. Aquarius gently picked up the real one and smiled.

"Not heavy at all," she said before disappearing in a fade of pale blue bubbles. Cancer grinned and also disappeared.

"Let the games begin," Healer whispered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Get your butt out of my face!" Rei muttered, trying to smack Usagi with her free hand. Usagi groaned.

"I caaaaan't," she whined. "Besides, I have nowhere else to put it." Chibiusa laughed and Minako began whining as well.

"I have to go to bathroom!" she cried out, but all her hands and feet wouldn't let her move.

"You should have thought about that before we started," Mako muttered. "Now look at you! What kind of position is that?" Ami giggled.

"Let's try this again! Left hand on green!" she called out. Mako smacked her hand on the topmost green on the Twister mat. Hogoshi suddenly screeched and began slipping. She desperately tried to twist herself to get her left hand on green. But, the problem was, Rei was hanging over her and Chibiusa was directly beneath her. Usagi had smacked her hand down on her foot and the pain was surging through. Finally, she decided it would be better to fall then to suffer all that pain. She slipped.

"Owww!" Chibiusa hollered as the sudden weight on her back. Her right leg slipped and accidentally kicked Minako. Minako cried out from the loss of balance and landed on her side. Rei saw Minako falling over and tried to go up, but the blonde knocked into her causing her to fall over as well. Usagi felt the sudden commotion behind her and turned her head to see what was going on. Rei collided into her, sending Usagi tumbling off the mat. Mako tried to hold her balance, but decided it wasn't worth it and collapsed on top of Minako. The heap of girls started giggling as they tried to untangle their arms and legs.

"Who started it?" Usagi screeched, rubbing her nose. She had promptly fallen face first into the dresser. Everyone pointed at each other. Chibiusa even pointed at Ami until Ami hastily bopped the little girl upside the head with the Twister board.

"Hey, _odango-atama_!" Shingo suddenly called out. Usagi's fourteen-year-old brother stuck his head in the room and saw the heap of giggling girls lying on the floor. He got an odd look on his face as he held out the telephone. "Telephone, Usagi-chan. Someone named Meioh Setsuna-san." Chibiusa's eyes lit up.

"Pu!" she happily yelled, snatching the phone away from Shingo. The brunette boy growled and stomped out of the room. "Hello, Pu!"

"Small Lady," Setsuna whispered. Her voice sounded full of remorse and fear. "May I please speak to Usagi-chan?"

"Sure," Chibiusa said slowly. She handed the phone to Usagi, her red eyes large. "Something's wrong, Usagi-chan. I can tell it in her voice." Usagi frowned and held the phone up to her.

"Hello, Setsuna-san?"

"Usagi-chan, we need your help." Usagi's frown never left as she looked over at her friends. They were watching her intently.

"Our help? What do you mean? Is something wrong over there?" she asked. Setsuna sighed.

"I suppose you could say that. Uranus and Neptune went off to face the zodiac senshi by themselves."

"They did WHAT? Usagi screeched. Her friends looked up in alarm, staring at the near hysterical Usagi. Her cheeks were blushing and the others began to get a misguided idea of what was going on… "What on earth were they thinking? Setsuna-san, we're on our way over right now!" Setsuna was a little surprised. She knew the girls were having a sleepover at Usagi's house and wondered how the blonde teenager was going to slip by her parents in the middle of the night.

"I can see what their purpose was, but it's too dangerous. We have to go after them."

"I'm calling a senshi meeting, right here, right now!" Usagi muttered. "Good-bye, Setsuna-san."

"Good-bye, Usagi-chan." Setsuna hung up the phone and Usagi stared at the others angrily.

"Of all the dangerous things they could do…" Usagi mumbled, plopping down on her bed. She crossed her arms and began thinking hard. The other girls looked at each other, frowns on their faces. What was so dangerous about…well, what was so dangerous about it? Usagi looked up at her friends and stared at them with disbelief in her eyes. "You guys won't believe this."

"Um, well, it's not like it's anything new," Mako mumbled, fiddling with her thumbs nervously. Minako joined in, though her face was bright red.

"Yeah. Knowing those two…" she mumbled. Usagi's eyebrows shot up.

"You knew they would do this?" she gasped. Rei and Chibiusa looked at each other guiltily.

"No," Rei said slowly. Her face was beginning to match the color of her planet perfectly. "But, it was kind of obvious that they'd do it sometime after they got back…" Usagi groaned.

"Why didn't anybody tell me?" Chibiusa looked surprise.

"We thought you'd be smart enough to know. I mean, those two are… well…never mind. But, it was kind of obvious, Usagi-chan." Usagi got to her feet.

"How as I suppose to know that Uranus and Neptune go off to face the zodiac senshi by themselves?" she erupted. "I thought they enjoyed living!" Usagi noticed the sudden visible blushing in the room. "What?"

"Nothing," Minako muttered. "Just a bunch of crazy thinking teenagers who thought too little on the morals of their beloved Uranus and Neptune." Usagi looked confused.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "What were you guys thinking about? I was talking about them going off to face the zodiac senshi after just got them back. Any other choice would've been too…oh." The realization of what the girls were actually thinking hit Usagi. She suddenly turned bright pink and looked like she wanted to hide under her blankets. "Never mind."

"So, how are we going to get over to Tomoe-san's place?" Hogoshi asked after the uncomfortable atmosphere dimmed away. "Usagi-chan, you're parents have us under lock and key."

"Well, maybe we can teleport out of here…" Usagi said slowly, but then caught the look in Ami's eyes. "Oh, come on, Ami-chan! We have to get out of here some way!" Ami glared at her and finally sighed.

"Fine," she muttered. "But how do we know that our Sailor Teleport still works?" Rei shrugged.

"Let's just do the best we can now and hope that it does work," she said, pulling out her transformation pen. Usagi hurried over and locked the door to her bedroom so that neither her parents nor her brother walked in to find seven girls transforming into sailor senshi.

"Okay!" she yelled. "Coast is clear!"

"Mars crystal cosmos power…"

"Jupiter crystal cosmos power…"

"Venus crystal cosmos power…"

"Mercury crystal cosmos power…"

"…make UP!" The first four senshi transformed in flashes of fire, electricity, light, and water. Four pretty soldiers stood in the middle of the room, in their respective poses. Chibiusa grinned.

"It's time for the moon soldiers to shine!" she yelped as the three soldiers of the moon pulled out their henshin lockets.

"Moon crisis cosmos power…"

"Eternal moon cosmos power…"

"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"

"…make UP!" White, pink, and silver energies caressed the three bodies of the moon senshi. The three pulled themselves into their respective poses as their henshin completed.

Luna and Artemis, who had been sleeping by the window, looked up. Luna's eyes sharpened. "And where do you think you're going at this hour, Usagi-chan? It's midnight!" Sailor Moon struck out her tongue.

"Uranus and Neptune went to go fight the zodiac senshi and now we have to go after them so they won't get killed," she explained as the girls set up their transportation circle. Artemis looked up quickly and scrambled off the windowsill.

"Hey, let me come with you!" he said, running into the midst of the circle. Luna followed also. "You always leave us out on a mission. Plus, if Uranus and Neptune really did run off, someone is going to need to scold them." The soldier of love laughed.

"That's Sailor Moon and Sailor Pluto's job to do that," she said. "They won't listen to you." Artemis sighed.

"Well, it was worth a try," he said. Luna glared at him and sat in the middle of the circle as the senshi began to power up.

"Oh, Artemis. You are such a lit-" Luna was cut off as the lights swirling around her took off, shook shooting through the roof of the room and out of the house. The beam of light shown many different colors as it shot across town to the Tomoe household.

The beam suddenly shot down on the large house, sitting staunchly in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. The lights dimmed down and the senshi reappeared, floating directly above one of the house's extra conveniences.

SPLASH!

"Oh, crap!" Destiny choked, swimming over to the edge of the pool. "That transportation thing is such a hazard."

"It's harder transporting by yourself," Mars muttered, swimming alongside her. Her long black hair stuck to her submerged body. She wiped some strands of hair from her face as she pulled herself up over the edge. "Ugh, well, it's not like that nightmare I had, but close to it."

"What nightmare?" Jupiter asked, trying desperately not to get her tiara wet. Water does conduct electricity, after all. Mars shrugged and began ringing out her now soaked sailor fuku.

"I had a rather strange dream that I kissed Sailor Neptune and drowned," she muttered. Jupiter and Destiny stared at Mars with a look of absolute horror on their faces. Mars saw the looks and glared at them. "Hey, it was only a dream!"

"Don't tell Haruka-chan that," a voice said from a pool chair. Gleaming garnet-colored eyes stared back at the seven wet senshi. "She'll make you eat your words."

"Setsuna-san!" Venus exclaimed, spinning around in surprise. But the surface was slippery and she fell with a shriek back into the pool. Sailor Moon groaned and reached out to help her back out. Venus glared at Sailor Moon, but took her hand anyway.

The figure stood up. Setsuna had transformed into Sailor Pluto and her time key shone in the passing moonlight. The storm clouds from earlier were disappearing.

"Pluto!" Sailor Moon gasped, letting go of Venus' hand. The blonde fell back into the pool for a third time that night. The guardian of time nodded.

"Mercury, use your power to dry them off," Pluto commanded gently, looking over at the blue-clad senshi. Mercury looked a little surprised and frowned a bit.

"How?" Pluto sighed.

"Never mind. I keep confusing your powers with Neptune. She's have been able to pull the water off you with some of her own power." Mercury frowned.

"Are you telling me that we have powers over the elements outside of our attacks?" she asked. Pluto nodded and looked a little surprised.

"Why, didn't you know that?" she asked. "You are princesses of our own planets. Didn't it ever occur to you that you're all heir to some great power?" The others were silent. Pluto just shook her head and sighed as she led them back to the house.

"Come inside. We have a lot to tell you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sailor Uranus looked up at the overwhelming expanse of the Starlight Tower. It was larger than the Tokyo Tower, larger than anyone's imagination could even dream of. Sailor Neptune looked at her partner, worry sketched all over her face.

"This tower doesn't really exist," she whispered, reaching for Uranus' hand. She looked up in absolute horror. "I have this feeling we're in way over our heads on this one." Uranus didn't answer. Her aqua eyes were harsh as she looked up at the immense tower. She had had a dark feeling in her ever since she had transformed. Something was bothering her and she didn't know what.

"Uranus, are you okay?" Neptune asked gently. Uranus still didn't respond. Something terrible was coming and it was dark…it was going to destroy to get what it wanted. What did it want, anyway? And why bother her, of all people?

Neptune began to get worried. Not that she already wasn't worried. But now her partner seemed to have blanked out on her and wasn't even responding to anything she said. She gently squeezed Uranus' hand again. "Uranus?" Then, even more softly, "Haruka?" The tall blonde soldier turned to her partner in surprise.

"Michiru…" she breathed. Total horror was etched across her face. She shook it off and glared back at the tower. "This place is giving off some nasty vibes."

"Oh, don't worry," Neptune whispered quietly. She wrapped one arm around her partner's waist. "Don't worry, Haruka. I won't let you get hurt." Uranus smiled.

"Shouldn't I be the one looking after you?" she asked teasingly. Neptune gazed at her.

"Oh, so just because you're taller and two months older, I have to be the weak one?" she retorted with a smile. Uranus nodded.

"Yeah." Neptune glared at her and punched her arm playfully. Uranus smiled and the two looked back towards the tower,

"Well, no turning back now, I'm afraid," Neptune whispered. The two soldiers walked to the front entrance of the building and carefully pushed open the door open.

Devastating darkness met them.

The total and complete dark energy made both soldiers go a little pale and faint for a second. But the bad thing was, the blackness was expanding out towards them. It wasn't staying inside the building. Neptune gasped in horror as the darkness swirled like a whirlpool around her legs.

"Deep Submerge!" she called out, but no attack came. The blue eyes got wide in horror. She tried again, but still nothing happened. She turned to Uranus. "My attacks don't work!"

"Mine don't either," Uranus replied. The darkness was somehow getting darker. Uranus murmured a curse beneath her breath and brought out her talisman. No sooner did she have it in her hands then did the ground seemed to slip out from under her. She gasped as she hit the ground. Just the short fall had nearly emptied her lungs of all air.

"Uranus!" Neptune suddenly screamed. The darkness had literally bound her, grabbing her around her neck and pulling her back to the door. Uranus looked on in horror and struggled to her feet. The space sword began glowing.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you don't let her go…" Uranus whispered. The darkness seemed to laugh at the blonde soldier and shot up from beneath her. Uranus gasped as the black energy pulled her to the ground. The space sword fell from her hands and clattered to the ground. It took most of Uranus' concentration to draw the sword back into her body.

"Uranus! Help!" Neptune screamed again. Uranus looked up and saw the obscurity pulling the aqua-clad soldier back to the doorway.

"No!" Uranus yelled, trying to get up off the ground again. But the darkness seemed to be like manacles holding her to the ground. Then, slowly, she felt something began to put pressure around her neck. Uranus struggled again, but the pressure around her neck became stronger, suffocating her.

Neptune looked on in horror as some of the blackness circled around her partner's neck. It was trying to strangle her! Neptune fought against the darkness that had bound itself around her, but it was useless. She was still getting drawn closer to that door. "Uranus!" she screamed.

Uranus could feel her head swimming from lack of oxygen. She tried to take some air in, but found it physically impossible. The darkness around her swirled and even that began to dim. Her lungs burned as if they were on fire, in desperate need of air. She felt her tense muscles began to relax, although, in her mind, she was trying to keep them fighting. The world began to swirl as well as the darkness and nauseating wave of dizziness spilled over her. _No, no, no! Do not let me pass out here! _But, it was clear that she was losing. Everything began to dim…

Neptune tried fighting some more, to get free, but suddenly froze when she saw Uranus slump to the ground. Her turquoise eyes widened. "No! Haruka!" she cried out, trying to fight against the black energies. But, the darkness had bound around her arms and legs, proving them useless. She screamed out more than once, more in fear than frustration. The darkness was growing and Neptune felt herself being pulled through the other side of the door. The darkness was too much.

Deciding that this was too much even for the strongest of fighters, Sailor Neptune passed out.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"So, they left you this letter?" Mercury asked. She was reading over it. "I don't get it. It gives no clue whatsoever to where they're going." The inner senshi had gathered into Tomoe's house and had dried off. They had come into the living room to discuss the situation. Pluto, Saturn, and Venus were sitting on the couch, trying to look calm. Sailor Moon was seated on a chair, head in her hands. Mercury was also seated in a chair, across from Destiny who was casually leaning against a wall, Chibi Moon sitting at her feet. Mars was leaning on the wall next to Sailor Moon's chair. And Jupiter…

"They could be killed!" the green-clad senshi exploded. She was pacing back and forth, her arms behind her back and eyes full of worry and anger. Saturn looked up at her.

"Jupiter-chan, would you please stop pacing?" she asked, fingering with the Silence Glaive nervously.

"You're starting to make me nervous." Jupiter sat down next to Mars, but a second later, was up on her feet, pacing again.

"What were they thinking?" she muttered. Tomoe looked at the upset girls, wondering what they were going to do. It was very interesting, having all the senshi meet like this. But, this was no joking matter.

"Oh, man," Mars grumbled, rolling her eyes up at the ceiling. "What are we going to do? We have no idea whatsoever where they're at. They could be anywhere in Tokyo." Sailor Moon was quiet, though her eyes were a bit red from crying. The zodiac senshi were a formidable enemy. One of them had killed once already and didn't seem to be afraid to do it again.

"I tried tracking them down on my computer," Mercury said softly. "No luck. If anything, the zodiac senshi already found them." Seeing the distraught look on Sailor Moon's face, she quickly changed her sentence. Sailor Pluto got a weird look in her eyes and left the room, leaving behind her time key. "Or they already found the zodiac senshi."

"Sorry I'm late! Seiya-kun and the others are right behind me!" Mamoru said as he bustled into the room. Sailor Pluto followed him and took her place back on the couch next to Saturn and Venus. He saw the depressed faces in the room and frowned. "No change in the situation?"

Sailor Moon suddenly burst out into tears, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably. "Haruka-san, Michiru-san, why did you do this?" she sobbed. Mamoru hurried over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"It's all right," he whispered, hugging her softly. "They'll be okay. They have to be okay." Sailor Moon didn't respond. She just rested her head on Mamoru's chest and let out a few more good sobs.

"Hey!" Fighter called, trotting into the room. She was flushed and it was clear she had been running. "Learn how to lock the door next time." Maker and Healer followed the dark-haired soldier in to the room. Maker sighed a little and crossed her arms.

"No improvement?" he asked. Sailor Jupiter shook her head and went back to pacing. Pluto frowned as she looked at Sailor Star Healer. The white-haired soldier was glancing at all the senshi in the room, giving them evil glances. Pluto stood up and walked over to the much shorter senshi.

"Are you alright?" Pluto asked. Healer looked surprised and then crossed her arms defiantly.

"Why? Do I look sick to you?" she snapped. Then her tone softened. "Sorry, Pluto. Just a little irritated."

"Yeah, the little reporter didn't show up and now she's in a bad mood," Fighter said with a chuckle. Healer scowled at her and promptly smacked her in the back of the head. "Hey! What was that for?"

"Teasing me."

"You could take it before."

"Well, I can't take it now, Star Fighter!" Healer suddenly snapped and stormed from the room. Fighter just shook her head and Maker sighed.

"She's been acting all weird ever since she got back home," Maker explained. She looked worried. "I don't know what happened to her."

"Hmmm, I don't think that's it," Pluto said slowly, looking over towards the door. She looked at Tomoe a little and flashed him a smile. "Would you terribly mind to get Sailor Star Healer, Souichi-kun?" Tomoe nodded remotely and walked out of the room. Saturn got a mischievous look on her face.

"Oooh, Pluto-chan as a crush on Papa!" she exclaimed. Pluto gave the youngest planetary senshi a confused look. Venus immediately looked up and her eyes became sparkle.

"Pluto's in love?" she gasped, standing up. "Hey, Pluto has a crush. All hope is not lost!" The time senshi was beginning to look very uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed.

"But-" Pluto began to protest, but even Sailor Moon decided to take her mind off the current situation to tease Pluto.

"Oooh, that's so sweet, Pluto!" she said. "Venus has finally shot you with Cupid's arrows." Destiny smiled at Pluto's embarrassment.

"Hey, Pu!" Chibi Moon cheered, pumping her fist into their air. "When's the wedding?"

"Found her," Tomoe said, returning to the room. He held Healer by the arm. "And right before she was about to storm out the…what's going on here?" The scene must have been strange. All the senshi were crowding around Pluto, who was looking as annoyed as Pluto ever looked. They all looked a little too interested in her business. Healer snatched her arm away from Tomoe and plopped down on the couch.

"How stupid can you be?" she hissed. "If I had known every one in this room was so dense, I'd never would've come!" Sailor Moon frowned.

"It was just a joke, Healer." The white-haired soldier rolled her eyes and glared at the group.

"I'll just come out and say it because you people are driving me crazy," Healer exclaimed. She crossed her arms. "I know where Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune are." The sudden serious mode switched on. Sailor Moon looked confused, then angry, then sad.

"How come you didn't tell us before, Yaten-chan?" she asked, looking at her straight in the eye. "We're worried about them."

"You won't have to worry too long," Healer whispered, her voice abnormally hollow. "The zodiac senshi will kill them before long." Pluto smiled a bit as she walked toward the black-clad soldier. Her smile was almost too scary.

"How would you know that?" she asked. Healer looked back at Pluto and cursed beneath her breath. Pluto smiled and looked at Healer seductively. "You don't trust those two?" Healer just glared at her. _Why do you do this to me, Pluto-chan? You know I still love you…_

"I…" Healer began, but then clamped her mouth shut. What was she doing? Giving away the mission? Pluto just smiled and touched Healer's hair softly.

"How come you won't tell me?" she asked, her voice as smooth as silk. Healer just looked away, getting pretty frustrated with the soldier of revolution now. "You can't tell me?" The senshi began looking at each other nervously. Was Sailor Pluto…_flirting_ with Sailor Star Healer?

"Leave. Me. Alone," Healer hissed, tearing her glance away from the melancholy eyes. Pluto just smiled and cupped the shorter girl's chin in her hand, making her look her right in the eye.

"Never did stick with her mission," Pluto said. Her eyes suddenly became harsh. "Where are they? Don't pretend because I know who you really are," her voice became deathly quiet, "Sailor Leo." Healer was almost fed up with Sailor Pluto now. Any more of that seductive stuff, she might've blown her cover.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Pluto," Healer remarked. Pluto smiled and brought Healer's face closer to hers.

"I thought you might say that, Leo," she said and quickly leaned over and kissed the white-haired girl right on the lips. The other soldiers' jaws dropped to the ground.

"T-that's…um…" Jupiter began, but found no words to describe that. Instinctively, Tomoe lunged for Saturn and clapped his hands over her eyes.

"Hey!" she yelped. At the same moment, Sailor Moon and Mamoru clapped their hands over Chibi Moon's eyes. The pink-haired girl struggled, but Destiny put her hands over the girl's mouth. The rest of the senshi just boggled in total bewilderment.

Healer looked very surprised, but it also looked like she was enjoying the kiss. Cautiously, she wrapped her arms around Pluto's neck, pressing her body against the taller girl's. Fighter and Maker looked like they were about to say something, and then decided not to.

A few moments later, Pluto broke way. She smiled sweetly. "Now tell them." Healer groaned a little and glared at Pluto with all her might.

"The only reason I'm doing this is because I could never say no to you," Healer muttered. She looked back at the rest of the senshi. The hands came off the eyes. Saturn groaned a bit, having missed out practically the entire scene. Healer stared back at Pluto. "I'm going to hate you forever."

"You said that before," Pluto said nonchalantly, seeming unruffled by the kiss. "And by the looks of things, you still love me." Healer blushed and then turned back to the group, who were now even more confused than before.

"Fine," she muttered. "I'm not Sailor Star Healer." The group let out a sigh of relief. Healer smirked. "But I am Sailor Leo." And with a flash of gold light, the pretty blonde soldier stood next to Pluto.

"Yikes!" Sailor Moon yelped, running behind Mamoru. She peered out from behind him. "She's a zodiac senshi? How come you can turn into me and Star Healer, huh?" Leo smiled casually.

"My own secret," she said. More angrily, she turned back to Sailor Pluto. "Happy, Pluto-chan?" Pluto nodded.

"Yes. Quite." Venus scratched her head and looked confused.

"Um, Sailor Pluto…" she began. Pluto didn't even flinch. She just smiled at the rest of the senshi.

"Long story, don't ask," she said. She turned back to Sailor Leo. "Where are Uranus and Neptune?" Leo murmured something beneath her breath.

"The Starlight Tower," she finally said. "Pluto-chan, please stop doing this to me." Pluto just shrugged.

"It's not my problem that you could never say no to me," she said. She turned back to the other senshi. "Strong enough for a teleportation?" Chibi Moon was too busy smacking Sailor Moon to reply. The others simply nodded. Pluto glanced back at Sailor Leo and tapped Mercury on the shoulder.

"You guys go on ahead," she whispered. "I'm going to talk to Leo-chan here and drill some sense into her head." Mercury simply nodded. Tomoe shrugged and walked out of the room, going to his lab downstairs.

Leo glared at all of them. She decided it was time to make a hasty retreat. But to her own surprise, the other senshi left, leaving Pluto alone here with her. Oh great. That's just perfect. Leave us here by ourselves.

Pluto grabbed her hand, sending a tingling feeling up her arm. Leo scowled at her. "What now?" Pluto gently touched her hair.

"You're coming with me," the green-haired beauty whispered in her ear. "If anything bad happens to either Uranus or Neptune and you have something to do about it, then you'll be very sorry." Leo's eyes snapped open. She glared down at Pluto. It was better having her full height back, making her a few inches taller than the guardian of time was.

"Pluto-chan…" she began, but Pluto just kissed her intimately to shut her up. Leo fumed. One day, she was going to say no to Pluto. But, that day would not be today as Leo slowly succumbed into the desire and passion of the deepening kiss.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"The Starlight Tower…" Sailor Moon breathed. She had only been here once before and that was when her spirit chalice had been taken. Cold shivers ran down her back, despise the fact that it was a rather humid night.

Venus stared up at the immense tower, frowning. She was still thinking about Sailor Leo and Sailor Pluto. Were they really an item? And how hot of an item? She'd have to bombard those questions on her friend later.

"Looks like there was a fight here," Destiny said softly. It was true. Some of the glass on the front entrance door had been shattered, lying in pieces around the door. She frowned. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Mars asked, looking at the rather foreboding glass. The sight of it was giving her weird chills, if that's what Destiny meant.

"If something shatters, then it usually breaks up into shards, right?" Mars nodded. "This glass didn't break up into shards. It broke up into dust." The senshi looked at each other as Destiny gently picked up a handful of glass. The minute her hand touched it, the glass dissolved away into dust. Mercury immediately put on her visor.

"She's right," she said after awhile. "This entire tower is fake. No one can see it except us soldiers. It's what's behind this that isn't fake. It seems like this tower leads to the zodiac hiding place, or something." Sailor Moon looked up in horror.

"Uranus and Neptune are inside that thing?" she whispered, her voice suddenly weak. Mercury nodded.

"Most likely."

"No!" Sailor Moon whispered. "We have to go in. They might be killed."

"Don't worry, Sailor Moon," Mamoru said. He transformed into Tuxedo Kamen and held her shoulders firmly. "They'll fight back in any means possible." Destiny suddenly looked up, her green eyes growing wide in fear. She looked at her costume, her face suddenly paling.

"No, they can't," she whispered. Sailor Moon looked at her in alarm.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they can't fight back in any means possible," Destiny replied. "We never did tell them about the secondary transformation. They've already put those rings on, Sailor Moon. Their attacks won't work." Saturn frowned.

"Secondary transformation?" she asked. "What's that?"

"Your attacks don't work because you put on those rings," Chibi Moon answered. "The only way they will work is if you transform with your ring and _henshin_ pen." Saturn looked surprised.

"And say what?"

"The words of your destiny."

Saturn rolled her eyes and held her henshin pen up in their air. _The words of her destiny_… "Saturn planet crystal power, make UP!" In a flash of violet light, Sailor Saturn stood before them. She looked at her outfit and smiled.

"Cool," she said. "Very…cute?" Jupiter frowned at her a second and then looked back towards the tower.

"The only way to get those two out of there is to go through," she said, cracking her knuckles. "Sparkling Wide…" Mars walked over to the door and turned the handle. It simply swung open. Jupiter blushed. "Well, then there's the easy way."

The senshi walked slowly into the front door. The darkness was rather dim. Mars groaned as Fighter walked right into her. "Would you watch where you're going?" Fighter sighed.

"I wish I could," she mumbled. "It's pitch black in here." Mars rolled her eyes.

"Let me try," Saturn piped up from her right. "Silence Glaive, please light up this dark and dismal place before we walk right over a cliff." The glaive began glowing, casting an eerie purple light on everyone's face. Saturn grinned. "Hey, it worked."

"Yeah," Destiny muttered. "But purple isn't the very best light to see in." Saturn stuck out her tongue and the light on the glaive turned white.

"Happy?" she asked grumpily. They seemed to be in some sort of large hall. The floor and walls were made out of black marble and four columns, one in each corner of the room, rose up further than the eye could see. In the middle of the room, there was a deep pit. It was rising three feet from the ground, and seemed about eight feet wide. It looked to be made out of black stone and could've easily been mistaken for a fountain, except for the fact that misty fog was rising from the seemingly bottomless trap. There were no doors in the entire room.

"It so horrible," Sailor Moon finally said, grasping Tuxedo Kamen. "It's so beautiful, it's horrible."

"How are we supposed to find our way in here?" Maker muttered, looking around the room. "Guessing that they have Star Healer somewhere in here too, we had better keep an eye out."

"I hope Pluto keeps Leo where she belongs," Saturn mumbled. Venus grinned.

"I doubt that's all she's going to do," she said. Saturn promptly bashed Venus on the head with her glaive. Venus glared at her as Saturn slapped Destiny a high five.

"I hope you guys are having a nice time," a voice echoed through the darkness. "It took you long enough to get here." With that, Sailor Star Healer stepped from out of a dark corner. She glared at all of them. "What were you doing, checking every place that seemed to _look_ threatening?" Fighter cocked an eyebrow.

"How do we know that you're the real Star Healer?" Venus grinned again.

"Because Sailor Pluto is at home with the fake, keeping her busy," she said. Saturn bashed Venus on top of the head with the glaive again. Venus groaned and rubbed the top of her head.

"Oooooouch," she cried. Healer shrugged.

"Not my fault," she said. She looked at the huge room. "Geez, does this room look threatening or what?" Jupiter looked surprised.

"Haven't you been in this room long enough to know what it looks like?" she asked. Healer turned to her.

"One, I haven't seen anything because it's been pitch black in here and two, I just regained consciousness a few minutes ago," she snapped. "And I can't say my headache is over."

"Oh, so the sailor senshi are all here?" another voice joined in. A petite young girl with black hair and emerald eyes appeared above the pit in the middle of the room. She easily stepped down from hit. "I'm Princess Zodiac. I supposed you've come looking for your little friends."

"Where are Uranus and Neptune?" Chibi Moon shouted, taking a step towards her. "Did you do anything to them?" The princess stared at them.

"You're very cute," she said. She glared at Saturn. "Turn off the annoying light." With a snap of her fingers, the light of the glaive went out. A moment afterwards, another light came into the room. The columns seemed to be made of glass and a large torch burned brightly inside each of them. Somehow, this darkened the mood in the room.

"Pretty," Sailor Star Fighter snapped. "Where are Uranus and Neptune?"

"Have you looked around?" the princess asked. "And to answer the little baby's question, I haven't done anything to them. Yet." Sailor Moon's eyes widened.

"You give them back!" she screamed. The princess just smiled and snapped her fingers again. The senshi looked up and saw what looked to be a closed circle on the ceiling, directly above the fountain. Slowly the circle opened.

The princess grinned. "I wanted all of you to see what would happen to your friends." There was a creaking noise and slowly, something came through the hole. Two bodies, hanging by their wrists and waists on a thick black rope, descended from the opening. Their ankles were bound and their wrists were also tied. They had been constrained together around the waists. They descended lower on the rope, until they were only twenty feet above the pit. Sailor Moon's eyes widened.

"Uranus! Neptune!" she gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears. "Wake up! Come on, wake up!" Neither soldier responded. They were both out cold.

"I don't think they can talk to you, princess," Zodiac sneered. She clapped her hands and before she could say another word, Sailor Moon found herself strapped against the wall. The next thing her friends knew, they were also strapped to the wall.

"I hope you enjoy yourselves," Zodiac said. From the opposite side of the room, the zodiac senshi suddenly appeared. "This is one fight I'll never forget."

"Let them go," Sailor Moon screamed. "Please! Don't hurt them!" There was a silence afterwards, followed by a laugh. Cancer stepped forward.

"Now what makes you think that we'll give two of the pure universe's most valuable warriors?" she asked. "Not as smart as I would give you credit."

"Please!"

"Quiet!" Libra snapped. There was more creaking and the two unconscious soldiers were lowered two more feet towards the pit. "Say anything else and they go straight down." Sailor Moon stared, dumbfounded. The princess smiled and disappeared for a second. She reappeared suddenly, floating in front of Neptune. She looked at the unconscious girl.

"Always struggling to the last hope," Zodiac whispered. And with that, she slapped Neptune heavily on the cheek. The girl didn't even respond. Her teal curls bounced from the force. The senshi looked at the dark-clad princess angrily.

"Why are you doing this?" Mars asked, struggling against her restraints. "We've never done a thing to you! You started this battle! It isn't fair!"

Libra suddenly grinned. "Didn't I say not another word?" she asked and suddenly the rope took a sudden dive and jerked abruptly, only five feet above the pit.

Uranus groaned a little and with great effort, her eyes fluttered open. "What the…" Suddenly aware of where she was, Uranus jerked her head up. She looked around, her eyes growing wider. "Oh, no." Then she looked straight below her and her face went even paler.

"Uranus!" Jupiter yelled. "Wake up Sailor Neptune. She's behind you." Uranus glared at Jupiter.

"How do you propose me doing that?" she yelled. "Anything I could hit her with is bound with a rope." Jupiter shrugged. Neptune uttered a stifled groan.

"Uranus…" she whispered and opened her eyes. She immediately closed her eyes again. "Oh god. Don't tell me we're swinging over a pit that looks like it leads to hell."

"Fine," Uranus replied. "We're _swaying_ over a pit that looks like it leads to someplace _worse_ than hell." Neptune bit her bottom lip and tried not to pass out again. _This could be bad_, she thought.

Pisces grinned. "See you later, my beloved counterpart." Aquarius waved good-bye also. The rope jerked again. Uranus scowled.

"Who the hell is controlling that thing up there?" she shouted, looking above her. "If you're going to drop us, leave out the suspense!" Neptune stared up too.

"Or better yet: don't drop us at all!" Zodiac looked up and snapped her fingers twice. The rope lowered right into the pit, faster than it had been going before. Sailor Moon, Sailor Destiny, and Sailor Chibi Moon screamed in horror. Uranus uttered a groan as the mist completely enveloped her, covering her body in less than a second. Neptune screamed as the mist ripped at her body, but even her scream seemed hollow.

"Neptune! Uranus!" Mercury called out. She could Neptune screaming in agony. It was one of the worse and most blood curling she had ever heard.

Mars snapped her head towards Zodiac. "What are you doing to them?" she screamed. Sailor Moon was crying uncontrollably, struggling against the restraints. Zodiac simply smiled, crossing her arms.

"Oh, it does sound painful, doesn't it?" she asked with black humor. "And it is. But if I described it to you, then you would probably vomit in absolute horror." Sailor Moon wondered if she wanted to know that badly. She could still her two friends screaming in bitter pain.

"Stop it!" she screamed. "Let them go…" her voice was lost is numerous sobs. The other senshi wish desperately that they could cover their ears. The screams didn't even seem human.

Suddenly, the pit exploded in light. But there was something evil about this light. The negativity was practically living inside of it. The zodiac senshi looked surprised and stepped away in horror. Even the princess seemed shocked. The minute the light dimmed down, Tuxedo Kamen looked back towards the pit. Someone was pulling herself out of the darkness. He stared at the girl in surprise.

All the soldiers' eyes were on the pit. The figure painstakingly pulled herself out of the pit, shaking a little. Her entire being suggested something was not right about her. "Ouch," she muttered, slumping to the ground. She coughed a little and then hit her chest hard. "That's better." Standing up, she looked around in surprise and then slumped back down. "I'm going to have some explaining to do. Hi?"

The girl gently brushed some orange locks from her face. She sighed, causing her to cough some more. "Hey…ack…everyone! How're you…ugh…doing?"

"Who are you?" Zodiac asked sharply. The girl looked up simply and tried drying out her sailor fuku. Seeing it was futile, she just grinned.

"You know, this stupid transformation power does have its advantages," the girl said, giggling. Another mistake: she erupted in some more coughs and looked down the pit. "What is that, poison? Anyway, I'm Sailor Leo, geniuses."

"Leo?" Venus gasped. The girl nodded.

"Exactly, how long have you been in here?"

"Um, half an hour?" Sailor Mercury estimated. "Maybe less." Leo coughed a little and then glared back down the pit.

"The combo of these powers is really tiring!" she exclaimed. She then glared at her outfit. "This is getting uncomfortable. Power down." The outfit glistened and reappeared in Leo's original colors. Her short orange hair lengthened and turned to a sunlit blonde. Sighing, she looked back down the pit. "Just a bit more!"

Uranus groaned as she pulled herself over the pit. She looked very ticked off and collapsed next to the pool, too tired to even move. Leo reached her hand into the pit and pulled Neptune over. Neptune was barely conscious. She looked at the planetary senshi briefly before collapsing on top of Uranus. Both soldiers were soaking wet. Neptune, with great effort, raised her hand above her head. Slowly, like raindrops, the water pulled from the four drenched soldiers and into a large water ball. She threw the ball back into the pool and collapsed once again on top of her partner.

"Uranus! Neptune!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Are you guys okay?" There was no response. The two soldiers had passed out the minute they were dry. Leo gently leaned over them and checked their pulses.

"They're okay," she said softly. "Just a little bit of an overload." She stood up and looked back towards the zodiac senshi. She tsked her tongue, shaking her head. "What is this? Using two senshi as hostages? That's really mean of you."

"Oh, be quiet Sailor Leo," Virgo pouted. "No one asked you your opinion."

"Well, I'm giving it anyway," Leo said sweetly. "Okay? First of all, I don't appreciate you using two of my senshi as bait. Second, you should've known not to drop those two in there. And third, if you're even thinking about challenging Sailor Moon, you are dead wrong if you think you're going to win."

"Oh, yeah?" Aries snarled. "Burning Mandala!" Leo gave the attack a bored glance before flicking her wrist towards the loops of fire. They vanished quickly as if they had never even existed. Aries' face twisted into a scowl.

"Oh, no," the princess breathed. She turned to Cancer, "Where's the Oracle Mace?"

"Right here!" Cancer said, the black scepter glowing in her hands. The princess laughed.

"Get rid of them all. Sailor Leo, too bad you turned traitor. You would've experienced the best victory in the history of the universe." Leo shrugged.

"Not my problem," she replied. She was about to say more when she felt a ripple in reality at her side. She tilted her head slightly to meet Pluto's eyes, who had stepped from her own rip portal to stand next to the blonde senshi. Leo gave a bit of a smile. "Now what?" Before anyone could answer, Leo felt stirring at her feet. Uranus and Neptune were beginning to come to! She kneeled next to them and gently shook Sailor Neptune.

"Sailor Neptune?" she asked. The teal-haired girl moaned and began to stir again. Leo took a deep breath. It was going to be one of those days. If only she could say no to Pluto. If she could…but, the "Princess" had disowned her. The strange thing was: she didn't care. Leo shrugged off her own problems and tapped Neptune again. "Sailor Neptune…wake up!"

The turquoise eyes opened and stared up at Leo, uncomprehending. Slowly, realization dawned on her. "Leo…Tuxedo Kamen's zodiac counterpart. You saved…us? Why?" Leo shrugged for the umpteenth time that day. Her blue eyes shone brightly.

"Questions later," she said. "You have to use your powers." Neptune didn't seem to understand.

"Our powers…don't work," she whispered, struggling to speak. Her voice was already incredibly hoarse and her skin was practically as pale as snow, no color whatsoever in her cheeks. Leo looked at her.

"You know how destiny works," she said. "Call out the words of your destiny. You hear them." Neptune pulled out her henshin pen and Uranus, who had been rather quiet, also produced hers. Both girls closed their eyes and concentrated.

"Neptune planet crystal power…"

"Uranus planet crystal power…"

"…make UP!" The room was suddenly ablaze in gold and teal light. A few seconds later, two revived senshi were standing in the midst of the room. The zodiac senshi began to feel a bit threatened.

"We have to find that stupid talisman!" Uranus said. She turned to Pluto and Neptune. "I have an idea." After carefully listening, Neptune looked a bit thoughtful.

"That could work," she said. She closed her eyes and a mirror materialized in her hands. Uranus also closed her eyes and a few seconds later, the sacred dagger appeared in her hands.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Saturn asked. With a quick swipe of Uranus' sword, the stone strapping Saturn to the wall feel to the ground. In a hushed whisper, Uranus quickly explained her idea.

"Even if it does work," Saturn said after awhile, "the sacrificial soldier isn't here."

"We'll have to get as far as we can without her," Pluto replied. The garnet orb on her time key unattached itself and flew into the palm of her hand. Uranus held up the space sword and Neptune held up the aqua mirror. The three original talisman formed a triangle. Saturn smiled.

"My turn!" she said and held up her glaive. All four weapons suddenly exploded in a flash of white light. The planetary and starlight senshi turned their heads away at the intensity of the light. The zodiac senshi turned away from the absolute pureness of it.

And in the middle of the brilliant light, the Holy Grail began to shine. At first, the sacred cup kept its original form, but then it began to lengthen. It became as long as the moon tier, glowing silver. Then slowly, the light began to dim away.

The four outer senshi collapsed to the ground. Sailor Moon looked surprised. "_Minna_!" she called out. Uranus groaned.

"I didn't plan on passing out for a third time," she mumbled, getting to her feet. She turned to her right and helped Neptune up. Then, she noticed the glowing scepter in front of them. She smiled. "I guess my plan worked." Neptune hugged her.

"You were right!" she said and congratulated her with a kiss on the cheek. Uranus blushed a little, but excepted the kiss anyway. Sailor Destiny looked confused.

"Right about what?" she asked. Pluto picked herself up off the ground and reached out towards the new scepter. It glowed garnet when it touched her hand. Saturn also got up and stretched a bit.

"Well, Uranus suggested that maybe the scepter wasn't hidden in a spirit chalice, but a different chalice like the Holy Grail," Pluto explained. "Since the Holy Grail, made up of the three outer talismans, conducted either good or evil, depending on the owner of it, Uranus said that if you add one more weapon…"

"…the Silence Glaive, which conducts, if you get right down to it, death," Saturn interrupted.

"…then, you could get a whole new weapon, that could conduct good or evil and cause death," she said. "If we had it, then the good would prevail if a life would be given. If they had it, evil would prevail and death would be instant. So, the taboo talisman is, more or less, the Holy Grail in the revelation of sacrifice."

"Impressive," Mercury gasped. "Uranus, you figured all that out by yourself?" Uranus blushed and shook her head.

"I had some help from Sailor Scorpio, and…" her voice became as cold as ice, "…Sailor Capricorn."

"When'd you talk to them?"

"Just a second ago," a voice explained from the darkness. A tall figure, surrounded by shadows, stepped from the darkness. She bowed deeply, her silver hair cascading down her shoulders. "First, let me extend my apologies to the princess from the last battle. I am sorry about that. And second, I need to thank the outer soldiers for finding the talisman for us." Neptune rolled her eyes.

"If you want it, Capricorn, take it," she muttered, trying desperately to control a hidden wrath beneath her voice. Where the anger suddenly came from, she didn't know. It was just there and there in an instant. "Or do I have to kill you and wait until the next lifetime?" Pluto simply turned away.

Capricorn stared at the three outer senshi. "Fine then. Take it, Sailor Scorpio." A red flash shot past Pluto, grabbing the scepter. Pluto looked surprised.

"Sorry Pluto," Scorpio said. "But no time is better than now to get this revelation over with."

"Here!" Sailor Moon gasped.

"Now!" Destiny added.

"No!" Zodiac suddenly screamed. "If you think you're going to win, you are dead wrong!"

"You aren't even the true princess of the zodiac!" a new voice shouted. Sailor Midnight quietly stepped from the shadows. "I am the true princess, Sailor Midnight." She turned to the evil zodiac senshi. "I am the princess you've been searching for." Libra raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, looking at the girl up and down.

"Our princess? On the same side as Serenity?" she asked, her tone unbelieving. "What kind of fools do you take us for?" Midnight met Libra's golden eyes steadily. Libra bit her bottom lip. As much as she could argue, the golden clad senshi felt an urge to bow before the purple-haired soldier.

"I am the true princess of the zodiac," Midnight repeated. "You've been corrupted by darkness. I did not awaken in time to keep you in line." Aries sneered.

"You're a liar!" she shouted. "You just want us to be confused!" Her violet eyes narrowed. "You're not going to do it! We will make sure the world is destroyed! The revelation will be over with!" Princess Zodiac looked shaken with all of this as she met Leo's eyes. Leo smirked. She already knew.

"You...!" Zodiac screamed at Midnight. The red-eyed girl smiled softly as she turned to the zodiac senshi.

"Perhaps this is not the lifetime..." she said softly, her eyes meeting Capricorn's. "Perhaps the senshi can live in peace and innocence one more time." Capricorn smiled as Midnight disappeared into thin air. She heard the girl whispering in her mind. _I won't let them be corrupted with darkness anymore...I'll try not to make this lifetime the lifetime where destiny travels into destruction...do what you must, love..._

The false princess of the zodiac felt anger arise within her. The true princess wanted her title back? Never! She would never give it back! With that, she unleashed a huge blast of dark energy at the two soldiers of the revelation. They nimbly dodged out of the way. But the blast had shaken the floor, causing all standing soldiers to fall to the ground.

"Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus shouted, sending the golden globe hurtling at the zodiac senshi. They stared at it for a second and decided to move. The positive energy attack hit the opposite wall. Aquarius glared at her.

"World Shaking!" she yelled, slamming the black version of Uranus' attack in the ground. Uranus was almost too stunned to move. _She has my attack?_

"Deep Submerge!" Neptune yelled, the wave of water sending the negative attack off course. She looked over at Uranus. "She has your attack? What's going on here?"

"She's your counterpart!" Venus yelled. Uranus spun around to face her.

"Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" she shouted back. Venus winced. They had left out a lot of important things in that conversation they had. Uranus sighed and glared back at Aquarius. "Great. So we're equally matched, am I right?"

"Yes," Aquarius responded. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light on the other side of the room. Apparently, Sailor Moon had used the silver crystal to break free of the stone and had just used one of her attacks and fired it at the zodiac. The zodiac senshi had scattered and Uranus and Saturn were using their weapons to break the planetary senshi out of the stone manacles.

That's when all hell broke loose.

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Random author's note: The writer of this story has died from poor writing overload and gone to heaven. But the fan fiction paramedics are trying to revive her. Please call again.


	16. Episode 234

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

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Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

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Episode 234: The long and timeless sea. A never-ending destiny

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"Behind you!"

"Watch out!"

"Get out of the way!"

"No!"

The entire room had erupted in chaos. The zodiac senshi knew they were outnumbered, but were putting up a pretty good fight. Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn were trying to heal as many of their allies as possible and the effect was really tiring them.

The inners had just recently thrown a Sailor Planet attack, but the effect seemed to have worn off. The zodiac senshi were hurt, but they were not staying down. That was bad since the princess of the zodiac was throwing enough dark energy around to knock one of the planet soldiers out immediately. And somehow, she kept giving the zodiac senshi more and more power so that attacks became almost fatal.

Jupiter felt her own Sparkling Wide Pressure attack hit her straight in the stomach. She flew backwards into a wall with such force, she heard something crack. She prayed it was the wall and not her spine. Looking back at Sagittarius, she pretended to have been knocked out by the blast. Sagittarius grinned.

"Four down, thirteen to go!" she cheered before running off. Jupiter groaned at the thought. Three of her allies, Mercury, Chibi Moon, and Destiny, had been completely removed from the battle, unconscious. Saturn had healed their wounds, but couldn't wake them up. Jupiter hissed a curse beneath her breath and struggled to sit up. She looked back at the wall. Well, there was good news. The wall had cracked from her weight.

Hesitantly, she looked around the room. The battle was on and it was on loudly. People were either screaming from pain, warning their allies, or threatening their enemies. The clash of power was loud and the sound that each attack made (like that crackling of Mars' fire) was really getting to her. Then, there was that near sickening thud of flesh hitting the wall or the ground. And of course, the heels on the shoes weren't making it much better either.

Jupiter looked around at the split teams. Slowly, her side was beginning to lose force. There had been no plan and everyone had broken up. She watched in horror as one of Aries' fireballs rammed into Mars, sending her flying backwards. She collided with Sailor Uranus and both senshi fell to the ground, stunned.

Saturn rushed over to Jupiter, her face etched in worry. "Jupiter-chan, are you okay?" she asked. Jupiter nodded. Saturn looked back at the fight. "This is horrible. If we start to lose, Pluto told me to keep my rebirth attack. But I know that won't work. I might have to use…the Silence."

Jupiter was quiet for a second. "You don't want to use it?"

"I never have _control_ of my actions when I use it!" Saturn nearly yelled. "If I use it, I might end up wiping out my allies in the process." Jupiter gently touched her hand.

"It'll be okay," she reassured. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, we have to worry about the other sailor senshi. Let's go beat their sorry carcasses." And with that, the green-clad soldier ran off into the midst of the battle. Saturn smiled. She was right. Her job was to keep healing people, not worry. She scrambled to her feet and started off towards Sailor Venus, whose left arm was bent awkwardly beneath her crumpled body.

"Venus-chan!" she yelled and kneeled down next to the blonde soldier. "Are you okay?"

"My…arm…" Venus gasped, wincing at the pain as Saturn turned her on her back. "I think…it's broken!" Saturn made a shushing noise and touched the base of Venus' arm. It had been disconnected from her body. She gently touched it and Venus struggled to try not to cry out in pain. An eerie purple glow arose from Saturn's fingertips as she closed her eyes. Venus didn't say anything, but her mind was still alert. _Thank Serenity we have Hotaru-chan on our side. We'd be goners without her._

Slowly, the pain diminished. Venus struggled to get up as the purple light faded away. Saturn opened her eyes. Venus was happily swinging her arm back and forth. She hugged Saturn. "Thanks for fixing me up! Now, I need to go hurt someone. Bye, Saturn!" She took off towards Sailor Libra, her pale blonde hair flying. Saturn grinned.

"Glad to help," she whispered and then sighed as she looked over at Sailor Scorpio, who had unfortunately been right in the midst of the room when the fight broke out. The girl had been using her power as best as she could, but now had been smashed into the wall by a stray attack.

Saturn groaned and rushed over to the other side of the room.

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Sailor Moon watched the destruction around her in horror. Her friends were exhausted. Their attacks weren't as powerful and they were definitely dragging. She looked over at the closest senshi, Sailor Capricorn. Somehow, the girl was not tiring out. The attacks had been getting stronger by the second.

I should use the silver crystal, Sailor Moon thought slowly. She looked over to her left and saw Jupiter running back into the fight. She breathed a sigh of relief. _Glad she's all right. I almost thought she had been removed from the battle, like Mercury and the others_. But her relief was short lived as she looked over to the right. She stared in horror as Princess Zodiac released a huge blast of negative energy heading straight for Pluto. The dark soldier saw the attack coming and stood her ground. Sailor Moon let out a scream.

, Sailor Moon thought slowly. She looked over to her left and saw Jupiter running back into the fight. She breathed a sigh of relief. . But her relief was short lived as she looked over to the right. She stared in horror as Princess Zodiac released a huge blast of negative energy heading straight for Pluto. The dark soldier saw the attack coming and stood her ground. Sailor Moon let out a scream. 

"Pluto!" she yelled, her legs sluggishly moving towards her. "Move!" The soldier smiled at her and simply disappeared in a gust of purple air and lighting, which reminded Sailor Moon of the Dead Scream attack. The attack went on, splattering onto the wall.

"It's okay, Sailor Moon," a voice said from behind her. The blonde spun around and saw Pluto standing behind her.

"Pluto! How did you…but you were just…how can you…" Sailor Moon was at a loss for words.

"It's a solo teleportation," Pluto said wearily. "You can go by yourself, but the longer distances you travel, the weaker you become. I traveled a relatively short distance and am not really tired, but if I continue doing it, I'll wear myself out." Sailor Moon's eyes glowed.

"Can I do it?" she asked. Pluto's eyes hardened.

"Of course," she said. "But careful when you use it. If you can easily escape then…" Too late. Sailor Moon had disappeared in a fluff of pink smoke. Pluto sighed. "I hope she doesn't use it too much."

"Hey, did _odango-atama_ just disappear on her own?" Fighter asked as she carefully dodged a wild attack. She looked over at Pluto. "Can she do that?"

"All planetary senshi can," she said and then smiled as she seemingly looked past the black-haired soldier. Her eyes sparkled darkly. "Maybe you should too. There's an attack coming straight up behind you."

Sailor Star Fighter spun around and saw a flaming Burning Mandala attack coming straight at her. She closed her eyes and imagined herself on the other side of the room. She felt a little light-headed for a second and then, nothing. Fighter opened her eyes and gasped. She was on the other side of the room. That was fun, but she felt a little weak for the move. She had reappeared behind the zodiac princess. With a grin, Fighter raised her hand over head. "STAR SERIOUS LASER!" she shouted.

Numerous stars suddenly flung from her hand, striking the princess in the back. The dark girl jerked in surprise and spun around. The attack had been more powerful than ever. Maybe it was due to the fact that she shouted it.

"You little...!" Zodiac screamed.

Before she could say anything, Fighter found herself blasted against the wall and quickly losing consciousness. She groaned as she looked up at the princess.

"How…" she started, but the princess just released another blast.

This time Fighter really did pass out.

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Sailor Moon saw the soldier collapse, but Cancer blocked her way from reaching her. She held a scream in her throat and looked around. It was clear why they were losing. They were on the zodiac soldiers' turf. Their power worked a lot better ion their own ground.

"PULL BACK!" Sailor Moon screamed. She held her moon tier firmly, but tears of frustration were piling down her cheeks. Mars and Uranus, who had been previously knocked down together, were suddenly blasted again and this time, they didn't get up. Sailor Moon's eyes widened in horror as she saw her best friend and her closest outer soldier friend collapse to the ground. "Rei-chan! Haruka-san!"

Cancer turned to the sound of screaming. What a wimp. "Shut up, would you?" she snapped at the blonde. "You're getting on my last, freakin' nerve!"

Sailor Moon said nothing, but closed her eyes. She once again disappeared in a puff of pink smoke, only to reappear by Mars and Uranus. Her hands were shaking as she gently shook the red-clad soldier. "Rei-chan! Rei-chan, wake up," she sobbed.

No answer. Sailor Moon shook her harder this time. "Rei-chan, please don't do this. I can't fight without you. Please."

No answer.

"Rei-chan…"

"Look behind you, Sailor Moon!" Saturn shouted from across the room. The blonde didn't even acknowledge the cry. Saturn stood up as the dark energy headed straight for the sailor leader's heart. Her violet eyes got wide as she looked over at Sailor Leo. "Sailor Moon, move!"

The blonde slowly looked up, but not in time. She just stared blankly at the beam. Saturn could feel the darkness and silence pulsating in her heart. Do something, anything to save the princess. Sailor Leo stared back at her and nodded. There was a flash of light around her.

Saturn raised her glaive, her violet eyes slowly becoming empty. Her face was emotionless as the tip of the glaive began glowing with an uncanny light.

Npetune looked up and saw the darkness pouring from Saturn. Her blue eyes grew wide as she looked on in horror. "Saturn! Don't do it, Hotaru-chan!" Saturn turned to her, no emotion on her face still.

"My Purpose," she whispered, her voice strangely hollow, "is to fill everything with Silence. Let there be Silence in this world so that no Light reigns."

"Hotaru-chan!" Jupiter screamed. She looked on in surprise. The dark energy was heading closer to Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen was too far away to be of any help. The room was large and the attack would be there in a matter of seconds. "Remember what you said! If you use that attack, you might kill your allies."

"Teleport out!" Scorpio yelled for the first time in the middle of the battle. "We have to get out of here!" Saturn smiled as she turned back towards the middle of the room. Everything and everybody seemed to stop and turn to her, realization striking them then.

"Oh, no," Uranus whispered. She had been stunned by the attack, but was recovering very quickly. But now, she could feel the blood draining from her head, making her feel very light-headed again. "Hotaru-chan…DON'T!"

"In the end, Darkness will rule over Light. Oppression over Faith," Saturn started. The attack heading for Sailor Moon stopped and exploded. "Despair over Hope. Greed over Generosity. Guilt over Innocence." The light was growing brighter. "Evil over Good. Darkness over Light. Death over Life. And Silence will reign in the oceans of eternity!" The sign of Saturn glowed brightly on her forehead as her eyes became as white as the silver crystal. She slowly brought the tip of the glaive to the ground.

"Get out!" Mars suddenly shouted. She had been stirred conscious with a jolt. The other senshi who had been removed from the fight also began to stir. They immediately saw Saturn and decided to leave.

"Solo teleportation," Pluto informed everyone. Everyone tried to make sense of what she was saying. The zodiac senshi just stared at Saturn in surprise and disbelief as the glaive descended down onto the ground.

"Silence," Saturn whispered.

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Sailor Midnight watched from her invisible world as darkness consumed the room. She had seen the switch and she knew that Saturn would be okay. But...Leo...

Shaking her head, Midnight managed to gather her energies and extend it out towards the zodiac senshi. She would bring them here, as she knew they could not get hurt. It was a definite pull on her own energy, but she had to save them. Even if they were evil, they were _her_ senshi. Nothing could change that.

Slowly, one by one, glowing figures appeared in the darkness. Midnight smiled softly as her own golden light extended out towards her beloved senshi. Her red eyes sparkled with tears. "Rest, my senshi. I shall join you soon."

"Princess."

Sailor Midnight spun around and saw Leo standing, watching her. But this Leo was different. She was wearing a gold, white, and silver sailor fuku. The collar was white, but didn't have any piping. Instead, from the bow to the back of the collar, gold faded into white. Her bows were silver, her skirt was white with gold and silver lining. A silver tiara was on her forehead with a shimmering gold stone. Her long golden hair spilled freely to her shoulders. Sailor Midnight choked by a sob. "Leo..."

The soldier stepped forward and took her princess into her arms. "I'm sorry," she said softly, "that they didn't trust you." Sailor Midnight shook her head.

"It's not your fault," she whispered. Leo hugged the girl tightly before releasing her.

"We won't remember next lifetime..." Midnight shook her head.

"Capricorn says that this lifetime is different. She thinks it may be the one..." Leo nodded understand. She gave her princess' hand a squeeze.

"You'll be back?"

"Yes. I must go and find Capricorn, Scorpio, and Selene. They must be looking for me." Leo nodded.

"Give them my regards."

"I will."

With that, Midnight disappeared into midair.

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Sailor Mercury could barely remember what happened, but she saw black wings, like a crow, spread out from Sailor Saturn. The Silence. She was immediately hit by a black light, shooting from the glaive. She could her screams arise from the room. They'd be killed if they didn't leave the room.

Solo teleportation? It was worth a try. Mercury closed her eyes as the darkness began ripping at her body and Silence began filling her ears. If she opened or closed her eyes, it made no difference. The darkness was everywhere and the screams were being smothered by darkness. She wanted to scream herself, but decided to wait until they got out.

If they got out.

Concentrating, she closed her eyes and thought of teleporting. Using her powers to leave and get out. She felt a tingle on her skin and the silence began to dim. It was fading. For a second, Mercury felt a little light-headed and swayed for a second. It helped that she was already lying on the ground and couldn't pass out.

Soon, the blue-haired soldier began to hear the sounds of…police cars? And people talking? There was a collective gasp as she opened her eyes. She muttered a gasp too. The planetary senshi were beginning to reappear around the Starlight Tower. The police had been called earlier because a passerby had seen some disturbances going around the Tower near the middle of the night. The fading night was ablaze with the red and blue light of police cars and the bright white light of flashlights.

Mercury stared back at them and felt herself about to faint. One of the police officers, a stocky man with glasses and looked like her was in his mid-forties stepped forward. A tall, pretty young woman joined him, looking rather surprised. The man scratched his chin and looked shocked. "Excuse me. Are you one of the sailor soldiers?"

Mercury looked around and realized he was talking to her. She tried standing up, but swayed. The young woman caught her arm and held her steady. Mercury flashed a grateful smile. "Yes."

"Which one are you?"

"Sailor Mercury."

"And who are the others?" he asked, pointing to her friends. Mercury turned and saw her friends, clearly exhausted, lying flat on the ground. Well, most were lying flat. Sailor Moon was kneeling, looking a little distraught and holding Mars' head in her lap. The raven-haired soldier seemed to be comforting her and Sailor Moon was trying her best to smile. Neptune had appeared near the door, leaning against the building. Uranus had struggled over to her and they were both talking, occasionally staring at their friends or the police. Venus and Jupiter were both lying flat on the ground, a little dazed from the teleportation. Pluto was picking herself up off the ground and held her head in hands as if she had a headache. Tuxedo Kamen was holding a sleeping Chibi Moon in his arms and walking over towards Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars with Sailor Destiny right behind him. The Starlights were utterly exhausted, slumping to the ground and looking like they wanted to sleep for a week. No one else was there.

Mercury began to worry. Where was Sailor Saturn? Or Sailor Leo, who had helped them out at the last minute? And where were Sailors Capricorn, Midnight, and Scorpio?

"Ma'am?" the male police officer asked, prodding her. The soldier he had been talking to had suddenly gone quite pale as she had scanned over her friends. "Who are they?"

"The sailor senshi," she whispered. Everyone looked like they had been fighting. They were scratched, burned, and bruised all over. Maker looked like she had twisted her ankle and Jupiter was holding her arm painfully. _We're a sorry looking group. No one would believe that we're the sailor soldiers._

"Sailor Mercury, could you come here for a second?" Sailor Moon called, her voice weary. She noticed that the other senshi had started to go to Sailor Moon and decided that she ought to too. She turned to the police officer and bowed, trying not to pass out.

"_Gomen ne_, but my princess is calling me," Mercury mumbled before struggling over to Sailor Moon. When she got there, she collapsed to her knees. Sailor Moon's eyes were huge.

"Where's everybody else?" she asked. "Where's Saturn?" Pluto lowered her head.

"I'm not sure," she said. Sailor Moon shook her head and gently touched Mars' black hair.

"I'm sorry, _minna_-chan," she whispered. "I just couldn't move. Mars wasn't responding and everybody was falling and getting hurt and I was scared…" Uranus knelt next to her.

"It's okay," she said softly. Sailor Moon began to cry, her tears falling on Mars' face. The red-clad soldier flinched at the touch, but didn't move her head off her princess' lap. "No one's mad at you."

"I'm sorry I'm such a crybaby," she whispered, hiding her face in her hands. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything…" Neptune shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself," she said. "Uranus and I decided to do this in the first place. If anything, we're the ones to blame for going in the first place." Sailor Moon shook her head and got ready to argue, but Jupiter placed her hands on the distraught girl's shoulders.

"Don't do that to yourself," she said, offering her a reassuring smile. Venus clasped Sailor Moon's right hand and Mars took her left hand. Mercury gently put her hand on Sailor Moon's left arm. Destiny wrapped the girl in a gentle hug. "No one's hurt. We all love you Sailor Moon. Thank you for being our princess."

Sailor Moon managed a watery smile. "_Arigatou_, Mako-chan." She wiped her eyes and then looked over at the police officers. "What are we going to do about them?" Destiny grinned.

"That's where I come in," she said and turned to the police officers. "Excuse me."

The stocky man looked up from talking to his female colleague. "_Hai_?" Destiny smiled.

"Are you looking for the sailor senshi?" she asked slowly. The stocky man nodded, his light brown hair shaking beneath his cap.

"_Hai_."

"Just asking," Destiny replied. She pointed to Sailor Moon. "This is Sailor Moon. Ask her any questions you feel." Sailor Moon looked up at Sailor Destiny in horror. She didn't want to answer any questions.

"How did you suddenly appear out of nowhere?"

"Were you in a battle?"

"Who was the enemy?"

"Is Tokyo in danger once more?"

"Can we have your comments?" The questions from the paparazzi were endless. Sailor Moon just stared blankly at them and then saw Destiny wink at her. Sailor Moon grinned as she got the hint.

"Citizens of Tokyo," she called out rising to her feet. Her silver crystal glowed and covered her allies. When the light dimmed down, the senshi were still there, but their injuries were gone. There was a gasp from the crowd, which now consisted of the police officers, detectives, paparazzi, curious passersby and fans. "We sailor soldiers of the planets and starlights will protect this world! No need to fear because in the name of the moon, I'll punish all evil that will come my way." Mars was struggling not to laugh at the rather silly introduction speech.

"Can we have your autographs!"

"Wow, they're all so cute."

"Can we get a date with one of you?"

The blushing rose to a major extent. Sailor Moon scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously.

"Um, we've overstayed our welcome," she said. The other senshi were trying desperately not to laugh as a hyperactive fan rushed up to Sailor Moon and shook her hand vigorously.

"You're the best, Sailor Moon! We know the world will be safe if you're here! Can you sign my autograph book? How about a picture?" The blonde soldier began to sweatdrop nervously as a policeman carried the girl off.

"We had better leave," Neptune whispered, "before they start a riot." Jupiter groaned.

"It's going to be in tomorrow's newspaper, I just know it," she said. There was a laugh from behind them, causing the entire crowd to suddenly become hushed. The senshi turned around. The crowd stared at the newcomer. She didn't look a bit scratched from the battle. Her raven hair was cut medium-length and her violet eyes were staring at everyone with a rather brooding intensity. She held some sort of staff in her hand and was wearing a purple sailor suit.

"Sailor Saturn!" Sailor Moon yelled in ecstasy. She wrapped the girl in a hug, still a little surprised that the girl had suddenly taken a growth spurt too. "I thought you had…you had…"

"I'm okay, Sailor Moon," she said. "I didn't use the Silence." Sailor Moon frowned.

"Huh? But, I saw you…"

"That wasn't me." The look on Sailor Moon's face was still one of confusion. Saturn sighed. "I'll explain all of it later." She turned to the other senshi. "Come on. I have some deep explaining to do." And with one swipe of her glaive, the senshi were gone. They disappeared into thin air.

Then suddenly, Sailor Pluto reappeared. She pointed the time key at them. "No one will remember any of this," she said and the garnet orb on her time key began to glow brightly. Pluto quickly erased all of what happened during the past hour or so, so that no trace would be left of the mysterious appearance of the sailor senshi. During the glow, Sailor Pluto quickly powered down to Setsuna.

The light dimmed down, revealing some very confused people. The stocky man frowned. "What are we doing here?" The lady next to him frowned.

"I don't know," she said slowly and then looked behind her at the fans and paparazzi and the rest of the police officers, who looked about as dazed as she felt. She looked at the Starlight Tower. "Perhaps we were doing a report on the Starlight Tower."

"I hate the Starlight Tower," a voice in the crowd said. Setsuna pretended to be surprised.

"How quickly you forget things," she said, frowning. "You don't remember what just occurred here?" The stocky man turned to her.

"Why? Do you?" Setsuna frowned and then smiled mysteriously.

"Hmm, I guess not." Everyone facefaulted.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A young man stood near the back of the crowd. He had been completely unaffected by the rays of the time key. It never worked on him. He frowned a bit, running a hand through his mahogany-colored hair. His green eyes were deep in thought. So, the soldier of time and space was Meioh Setsuna. He had always admired her…well, before she died anyway. He sighed. It wasn't a great ability, always able to see the truth in people before they even met. He could easily find out who the others were by just looking at them.

He frowned again. If that were true, that blonde had to be Minako. He smiled at thought of seeing the blonde again. About time something interesting happened in his life.

With that, he jammed his hands into his pockets and walked off.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I don't wanna get it!" Usagi moaned, rocking back and forth. She knew she'd be in trouble for sneaking out in the middle of the night. "I'm too tired. I don't wanna!"

"Usagi-chan, let her have a chance to speak," Rei snapped. The senshi and the cats had reappeared on the top of some building in the downtown district. They were watching the sky slowly fade from navy blue to a rose color. The stars disappeared, their lights fading to the overpowering light of the morning star, which was slowly peaking its head above the horizon.

Hotaru sighed a bit, sitting on the edge of the building, swinging her legs over the side. Haruka and Michiru were giving her that 'parent look' at the sight of Hotaru leaning over the side of the building.

Hotaru looked up. "When Sailor Moon first used a solo teleport, I knew that that would cause havoc among the zodiac senshi. So I went and talked to Sailor Leo. She was more or less not having a good time. I told her that if it was necessary, I'd use my Silence and when I did, she was to get everyone out of there. Somehow, Leo didn't like my proposal and told me that she'd transform into me and use the Silence. How she got this idea out of nowhere, I don't know. I guess she just wanted to help. So I didn't use the Silence. She did."

"I know I felt something…" Mamoru whispered.

"Correct," Setsuna replied. She felt an awesome amount of despair and sorrow weighing on her heart. Sailor Leo was gone. For good. If she came back...it wouldn't be as a zodiac senshi...It wasn't fair, since she had helped them out at the last minute. The green-haired beauty blinked back tears and then turned to the others. She then noticed that her three friends got a very odd look on their faces.

"What are you talking about?" Michiru asked. The inner senshi began to get nervous, sweating visibly. Setsuna glanced at them in surprise.

"You haven't told them yet?" she asked. Hogoshi laughed, scratching the back of her head.

"Um, well, no," she said, but quickly rushed on. "But, my application came in the mail yesterday and I got into that academy." Haruka managed a grin.

"That's great, Hogoshi-chan," she said. "Excuse me for not being more enthusiastic, but I'm a little curious of what you didn't tell us. Like why did all of the soldiers of the zodiac have doubles of our attacks? Or why that Sailor Midnight girl said she was the 'true' princess of the zodiac? And how come you didn't tell us about the secondary transformation until we were in a battle?"

Michiru nodded. "You have some explaining to do." Taiki groaned and shook his head as the others began sweating almost comically. Suddenly, Seiya began whining.

"I wanna go home," he mumbled. "I have an awesome headache from trying to learn about your past lives and I think I might fall off of this building if I have to take in anymore information."

"Likewise," Yaten agreed, stretching a little. "It's been fun and everything, but I'm kind of getting homesick. Anyway, our first objective was just to stay and warn you guys in the first place. But, our planet really needs us. It was pretty trashed by the search for the talisman." Rei nodded shortly.

"Of course," she said. "We've appreciated your help, more than we can say. But, if your planet needs you, we won't stop you from going."

"You'll miss us?" Seiya asked, looking directly at Usagi. Usagi blushed.

"Sure, Seiya-kun," she said. Seiya rolled his eyes.

"One day, Usagi-chan. One day," he muttered. He brought out his henshin locket and held it up in the air. He looked at his fellow allies. "So, are we going?"

"We're going," Yaten grumbled. "Geez. You'd think you were in a hurry to leave or something." Seiya happily smacked him in the back of the head before shouting his henshin phrase. Sailor Star Fighter suddenly appeared and glared at her two friends.

"Slow pokes," she muttered, waving her finger back and forth. Yaten glared at her as a flash of light covered his body. The same light covered Taiki's body and two pretty sailor senshi appeared. Healer crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air.

"I'm not slow, so there," she said, before disappearing into a ball of green light and shooting towards the heavens. Maker smiled.

"I guess that's her way of saying good-bye," she said. She waved back to the planetary senshi. "_Sayonara_, _minna_-kun. We'll surely meet again." And with that, she vanished into a blue star and shot after Healer.

"Oh, so they went and left me here?" Fighter snapped. "I'm going to kill them when we get back." She looked over at Usagi and the others and blew a kiss before winking at them. "Don't worry we'll meet again. Can't say the same for my two friends since I'll have to beat their carcasses into the ground. Oh well. See you…I don't know, later." In a flash of red light, Fighter was also gone.

"Nice good-bye," Hotaru whispered.

"I'll say," Haruka agreed, looking up at the sky. The stars were almost faded away, the pale light of dawn casting its way over night's dark features. Then, she turned back towards Usagi, ready to get on with the program. "You were saying?"

"Huh?"

"Usagi-chan!"

"Oh! Where was I? Um…so, where do we start?" Usagi said slowly, pressing her fingers together like she always did when she got nervous. She was going to miss Seiya and the others. She hoped they kept their promises and returned real soon. "Um, maybe we're not the best people to tell you this. I think you should talk to Yomicha-san or Megumi-chan, or any of those..."

"We're already here, Princess," a voice said from behind her. All the senshi spun around and glared at the four new visitors. Minako recognized three of them right away, but there was a new figure among the group. Minako frowned. _Should I know her? She looks rather familiar._

"Usagi-chan, Yomicha and Megumi-chan have something they would like to tell you," Kei said, poking the two girls in the back. Yomicha groaned, but didn't say anything. She looked up and for an instant, she met Setsuna's eyes. She quickly turned away, a little ashamed.

"This is going to be hard enough as it is," Megumi said. "But, please. Just let us get halfway done with the story before you do anything else." Usagi nodded and the planetary senshi turned their attention to the four girls. Luna stared at the newest one, her eyes slightly widening. She saw Artemis who was beginning to look sparkly eyed and bopped him on the head with her paw.

"Luna," the girl said, her long brown curls bouncing. "Nice to see you again. You too, Artemis." Artemis sighed happily but was immediately hit upside the head again.

"Selene, it's been awhile," Luna finally said. "I remember you very clearly because this heroic klutz used to bring you up about everyday during the Silver Millennium." Selene frowned.

"You haven't changed much, have you, Art?" she asked, stroking the cat under his chin. Artemis purred happily. Selene pulled away, her violet eyes suddenly getting misty. "This discussion is serious though. I'd prefer if you'd two change into you human forms so we can discuss this properly. After all, you two are the moon guardians."

"Human form?" Artemis gasped. He and Luna shared a look. "Um, we…um, er…"

"Don't remember," Luna finished hurriedly, blushing a little. Selene frowned.

"You have the power to awaken memories, remember your past life, and find all the inner senshi, but you can't turn into a human?" she asked incredulously. The attention had turned to the three. Usagi frowned.

"I thought you needed the silver crystal to…" she began, but then stopped. Luna was already changing. It a matter of seconds, a dark-haired girl in a yellow dress stood before them. She glared at Selene.

"Happy?"

"Quite. What about you Art?" Artemis groaned and closed his eyes. Human…human? What was so bad about being a cat? It's not as if they were the worst type of animal to be. They were quite…quite something, he didn't know what.

"Art, you can open your eyes," Selene said slowly. Artemis opened one eye and yelped. He had transformed. It didn't hurt, but he felt kind of sore after his muscles elongated like they did.

Minako stared at the pale-haired young man in front of her and grinned. She made a peace sign with her hands. "Wow, you look handsome, Artemis." The young man blushed and then turned back to Selene.

"What's the deal?"

"These two have something to tell you and it's very important," Selene replied, jerking her thumb towards Yomicha and Megumi. "And it's not going to be hard to believe. But, it'll take awhile to understand it." Yomicha shot Selene a deadly glare and sighed.

"Fine," she said. "The talisman…is one of the few left remaining in this solar system. In order to get it, you must have a combined result have some of the most powerful spirit chalices ever known to man. Those belong to the senshi, since they are of course immortal."

"Since the talisman can conduct either good or evil, it is needed that the person with a pure soul handles the talisman," Megumi added and then blushed a little. "That means Yomicha-chan and I can't use it. It has to be used by a planetary soldier."

"What about Sailor Moon?" Ami asked. "She used the scepter before in its Holy Grail form. Shouldn't she be able to use it again?" Yomicha shook her head.

"No," she stated flatly. "Not in this lifetime anyway. Another soldier who might have a pure soul should be able to use it. But, that person would also have to be able to handle the scepter until the sacrifice comes. Unfortunately, we don't know who this person is."

The senshi looked at each other, frowning. If it couldn't be Sailor Moon, then it would have to be someone who had an innocent soul…which would mean Chibiusa.

"Here's the scepter," Megumi said, holding out the pink and gold item. "It will choose the one who would hold its power. But, not on its own." The four outer senshi looked at each other. They knew it couldn't be them, since they already held weapons. It wouldn't be Sailor Moon, because she had the moon tier. That left the others.

The scepter glowed brightly, enveloping all the senshi on the roof with a blinding white light. When the light dimmed down, the senshi were no longer on the roof. They were in a large room. There were huge floor to ceiling windows, or doors, that extended to a promenade outside. The senshi looked out at the promenade, which seemed to encircle the entire room. Earth hung high on the horizon.

"What the hell…" Haruka whispered, spinning around. She then looked down and realized she was wearing the royal blue princess dress of the Silver Millennium. All the senshi were wearing their own dresses, in their own respective colors.

"I know this place!" Chibiusa shrieked, her glossy dress spinning around her legs. "This is where I got Luna Ball. That was such a long time ago. Almost two months."

"It was a long time ago," Usagi agreed. The sign of the moon was glowing brightly on her forehead. She turned and saw Mamoru standing next to her, as Prince Endymion. "Endymion…"

"Serenity…" he responded. "How did we get here? Are we even still on Earth?"

"Don't think about it, Endymion-sama," Yomicha said. She was wearing a satin blue and black dress. She curtsied before her prince and princess. "It's quite all right, my prince and princess. Do not worry. Please, _minna_, take a seat." The sailor princesses and their companions turned to a long, conference looking table near the back of the room.

"Can we start to feel sort of…you know, scared out of our wits?" Hogoshi asked. She was wearing a very pretty silver dress. She sighed as she and other senshi sat down around the table. "I mean, it's kind of creepy when something like this happens to you, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sure," Hotaru said. She looked around the room, her deep violet dress swirling around her feet. "But, it is a gorgeous place." Megumi nodded and stood near the doorway. The three cats stood respectfully behind their owners and stared at the two speakers.

"As confusing as it may seem, I'll try to explain it to you," she said. "In order to complete the sacrifice, a senshi must...die."

"You've explained that to us," Rei piped up. "Sailor Midnight will give her life so that the balance over good will dominate over evil." Yomicha nodded.

"Yes, but that's not all that is needed," she said and suddenly the attention in the room sharpened considerably. Yomicha flinched...again, another lie. "In order for there to be a complete and final restoration, the senshi must put all of their power into the silver crystal and then release it into the scepter along with the soul." Ami frowned.

"But that would mean we would be rendered completely powerless," she said. Megumi nodded. _But for your own good this time_, she thought.

"Yes," she said aloud. "Powerless until the next lifetime. You see, this would be your final battle." The senshi immediately froze.

"Our final battle?" Makoto and Michiru asked at the same time. Mako managed a smile before continuing. "How come you didn't tell us this before?"

"We didn't want to give your hopes up," Yomicha said. "There have been times when this hasn't been your final battle. There might be more to come, but whether or not they are in this lifetime, I don't know. I can't see the future."

"So, it may or not be," Minako muttered. "This is perfect. If it is our final battle, we get to have normal lives for the rest of this lifetime. And if it isn't our final battle, we lose our powers and get turned into applesauce if the next enemy shows up."

"Hmmm, what choice do we have?" Mamoru asked. "If we don't do this, the dark universe will win this battle. We have to do this." The other senshi looked at each other as the decisions weighed heavily on their minds.

"I guess…we have no other choice," Hotaru said slowly. "We have to seal back the evil forces."

"We'll no longer be sailor soldiers, though," Setsuna said. She shook her head. "I don't remember it ever being this hard in previous lifetimes." Yomicha and Megumi said nothing.

"No longer sailor senshi…" Usagi whispered. "As weird as it may seem, I'll miss being Sailor Moon. I mean, three years of being her makes me feel…I don't know. Special or more powerful…"

"I don't really care about the fact that we won't be senshi anymore," Chibiusa said. "It's just that…just being the sailor senshi caused us to meet each other. If it hadn't been for that, none of us would probably know each other. Because of becoming Sailor Moon, Usagi, you were able to meet Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, and Minako-chan. Then, when battling against the Black Moon Family, you were able to meet Pu and me. After that was the battle with the Death Busters and we were able to meet the other outer senshi. And…you've all told me about the story against Sailor Galaxia."

"Yeah, if we weren't senshi, our memories never would have been revived of our past lives," Haruka added. "We'd be complete strangers." Usagi began to cry.

"Does that mean…if we aren't senshi…we'll fall apart as friends?" she gasped. She buried her face into her hands. "I don't want to lose all of you!" The silence afterwards was forlorn and solemn, except for Usagi's crying. Finally, Setsuna stood up.

"Capricorn, Scorpio," she said, her voice cold. She knew why they were doing this. She knew they were lying. "We haven't done this in previous lifetimes, have we? All other lifetimes we just sacrificed a life. Why the sudden change? In all previous lifetimes, we remained senshi. What's going on here?" Yomicha sighed.

"Lady Pluto, you know what's going on here," she said. Setsuna narrowed her eyes. "This is the way destiny is playing out in this lifetime. Something is going to happen after this battle that might alter the course of time. I don't know what it is, but I see two new figures and something of the past…like a ghost…coming to warn you of something. I can't make out any details, but that's the way it has to be. You must lose your powers in this battle. That's the way destiny is playing out its cards." She paused. "Trust me, Pluto."

"That's right," Luna said slowly. Her dark hair brushed her cheeks as she turned to the silver-haired girl. "You had told me that this lifetime is different from all others."

"Right. Different battles that I've never seen before. This is just one of thousands of lifetimes that are involved in a never-ending destiny. Except this lifetime takes a different turn. Eternity rests on the brink of the long and timeless sea. Whether or not we ever make it across, I do not know. But in order for life to continue, this requirement is necessary. Look inside yourselves. You know it is true. Even if you won't admit it, your hearts tell the course of the path of destiny in which you take." The senshi were quiet. When put like that, the whole logic of the problem seemed to fit.

Slowly and simultaneously, the sailor princesses put their _henshin_ devices on the table. Usagi managed a watery smile. "Let's do this." Yomicha nodded and raised her henshin pen in the air.

"Capricorn zodiac power…"

"Scorpio zodiac power…" Kei stood up and raised her locket in the air.

"Midnight zodiac power…"

"…make UP!" The room was ablaze in three different lights as the three senshi of the revelation transformed. The rhythm of the transformation was more mystical then anything else.

Capricorn nodded her head. "Now, this may be your last transformation. Make it as powerful as you can." The senshi nodded and stood up. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Eternal moon cosmos power…"

"Mercury crystal cosmos power…"

"Mars crystal cosmos power…"

"Jupiter crystal cosmos power…"

"Venus crystal cosmos power…"

"Destiny crystal cosmos power…"

"Moon crisis cosmos power…"

"…make UP!" The seven inner senshi transformed with enthusiastic rhythm. The thought of losing their powers made the transformations last longer and their movements more elegant. The inner senshi suddenly appeared in the room and looked at their other four allies. The outer senshi nodded at each other and raised their henshin pens in the air.

"Pluto planet crystal power…"

"Uranus planet crystal power…"

"Neptune planet crystal power…"

"Saturn planet crystal power…"

"…make UP!" The room was once again glowing with brilliant color. Something about their transformations reminded the inner senshi of angels as the flow of the transformation took a lovely turn. The outer senshi appeared in the room and then looked over towards the three senshi of the revelation.

"Final battle," Sailor Moon said and nodded towards her friends. "Let's go."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm worried about Usagi," Ikuko whispered. "It looks like a storm might start. Where could they have gone?"

"I don't know," her husband agreed. He looked over at Shingo was also looking worried. "This is not like Usagi to run off in the middle of a sleepover. I trust her friends. Where could they have gone?"

"We'll check sir," the police officer said, writing down on his pads. He looked very stern. "How many of them are there?"

"Seven. My niece is with them."

"Okay, we'll do the best we can," the police officer said and then walked out the door. Kenji put his hands on his wife's shoulder.

"They've been gone too long," he said. "That storm will start any minute. I hope she's okay." Shingo shrugged, trying not to show any concern over his _odango-atama _sister. They seemed to have disappeared right after that Meioh Setsuna had called. He hadn't said anything about it…but, maybe she knew something.

"Mom, Dad," he said looking over at the two of them. "Do you know anyone named Meioh Setsuna?" Ikuko frowned.

"She's one of those people Usagi hangs around with," she said. "Why?"

"Well, she called before the girls kind of ran off," he said. "Maybe she has something to do with this…" Kenji was already dialing the phone and talking to operator.

The phone rang on the other line. Once…twice…

"_Moshi, moshi_, this is Tomoe Souichi-san speaking."

"Hello. This is Tsukino Kenji. I'm Usagi's father." There was silence on the other line.

"You're Usagi-chan's father and Chibiusa-chan's uncle?" the voice asked.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I'm Hotaru's father. What's the problem?"

"Well, my daughter, my niece, and their friends seem to be missing," Kenji said. "My son says that he received a call from your house before these girls left. Someone named Meioh-san."

"Oh, Setsuna-san!" Tomoe said in recognition. "Yes, of course. Well actually, I haven't heard from them. But I'm sure they're fine."

"Well, may I speak to your daughter then? She seems to be a good friend to Chibiusa. Maybe she knows where they are."

"Um, my daughter's not here at the moment."

"Anybody else in your house who knows them?"

"Yes…but they're gone too."

"Oh. Well, thank you for you help anyway." With that he hung up the phone and shook his head. "Seems that his daughter and Meioh-san are not there at the moment. I wonder where they could all be."

The doorbell rang. Ikuko stood up and moved the curtain on the door over to see who it was. She sighed and opened the door. "May I help you?"

The boy, who looked no older than eighteen, nodded. "I was wondering if you, by any chance, are missing some girls?"

Kenji stormed over to the door. "What have you done with them?" The boy sweatdropped nervously and then looked at Ikuko.

"My name is Derick Corring," the boy said, staring at the Ikuko with dark green eyes. His accent was British, but he spoke flawless Japanese. "I'm an old friend of Aino Minako-chan. She told me to tell you that everyone's okay, but there's been an emergency that they had to take care of." Kenji grabbed the boy's collar.

"Where are they?"

"I don't know, sir," Derick said. "I just know that they called me and told me to tell you that they're okay and not to tell their parents."

"What's the number?"

"_Ara_! It was a payphone. I couldn't tell." Kenji dropped Derick and managed a tight smile.

"_Arigatou_, Derick-san," he said.

"My first name is Derick, not Corring. I'm still getting used to spinning the names around." Kenji nodded stiffly and the door was closed. Derick sighed heavily. That should buy the senshi some time. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Taking out his umbrella, Derick walked backed to the school dorm.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"My parents are probably worried about me," Sailor Moon whispered. After sending the cats back home, the senshi had teleported into a dark hallway of the deathly silent zodiacal realm. The Silence had taken its toll. "They probably already have a police team looking around for all of us."

"I have this feeling we won't need to worry," Venus said, looking at Sailor Moon. "I don't know how, but something tells me everything's going to be all right."

"Sure," Jupiter said with a heavy snort. "We might be walking into Death's own department store and there won't be any refunds." Destiny laughed a little.

"Well, at least it's a sale," she said. "Kill all of us for the price of one." Uranus groaned.

"Who said we were going to die?" she asked. Neptune agreed and looked forward into the darkness. "We aren't going to go and jump off a cliff or something."

"I don't know…" Mercury said. "My computer shows that we have an 80 chance of getting killed before we reach that platform in the sacrificial room. The other 20 says we're all clear."

"I don't get it," Mars said. "If the zodiac senshi were killed in the Silence, then why on earth do we need to fear anything? It's an easy walk." Chibi Moon shivered.

"I don't know, but I'm getting the creeps just from being here," she said, grabbing Tuxedo Kamen's leg. Sailor Moon glared at her, but didn't say anything. "Are you sure we're going the right way, Scorpio?"

"Positive," the short, red-haired girl replied, flashing the pink-clad soldier a grin. "It does feel creepy, but I doubt anything weird will pop up."

Saturn sighed, looking at the blank, desolate hallway. The creeps seemed to be written on the walls and that was just the least of their worries. The light from her glaive only lit up a small portion of the hallway, making the infinite blackness ahead seem even darker.

"This is SO mystery movie!" Venus suddenly yelped, scaring nearly half of them out of their wits. "We're like in search for one of those mummies in the pyramids of Egypt. But we don't know about the mummies' curse. We have accidentally stepped over the sacred marking on the floor…" Saturn grinned.

"And that's when the mummy is awakened from the tomb, realizing his slumber has been disturbed," she added. "He opens his glowing red eyes and breaks free from the coffin which held his body for so long. His body is decayed from thousands of years of death. He slowly stalks after the archaeologists, the smell of rotting flesh filling the hallway…" Mars sniffed the air.

"Speaking of which, what's that smell?" Saturn and Venus ignored her, continuing.

"He walks slowly, so not to scare the young explorers," Venus continued. "His curse has yet to begin. He raises an amulet and slowly, one of the archaeologists has this feeling they're being stalked. She slowly turns around and sees nothing. She decides it was just her imagination and continues down the path. Outside, it is getting darker and darker as a storm brews up. Suddenly, above their heads, a crack of lightning lights up the ceiling…" A crack of lightning lights up the ceiling above the senshi.

"Good storytelling," Jupiter muttered, looking at Venus and Saturn. "What are you going to do next? Have the mummy su-" Jupiter stopped short and had this feeling that they were in fact being followed. She turned around and immediately stopped walking. She tried to call out something, but was silenced instantly.

"One archaeologist turns around, the sound of thunder striking her nerves," Saturn continued, really getting into the story. "But before she can say anything of warning, she's gone. Her partner feels that lack of presence at her side and turns to where she had once been standing. Her partner is…"

"Oh, no!" Mars suddenly exclaimed. "Stop telling the story! Jupiter is gone!" All the senshi spun around and realized that Mars was telling the truth. On the floor was a ruby amulet. Venus and Saturn paled.

"Uh, oh," they said at the same time. Capricorn groaned as she walked towards the back of the group. She picked up the amulet and studied it closely. Her face suddenly dropped.

"It looks like you're going to have to continue the story," she said. "It's already started."

"What do you mean?" Sailor Moon asked. Her features were pale. Capricorn shook her head.

"This ruby amulet has cast a spell on this entire realm," she said slowly. "Venus started by telling the story and getting the mood right into it. The only way to stop it is to finish telling the story. The same way you were telling it before." Venus and Saturn looked at each other.

"We're in so much trouble," they murmured at the same time. Venus took a deep breath as the group began walking down the hallway again. "I'll keep going. It's my turn anyway. Okay, where was I? Oh yeah…the group tried desperately not to panic when they found part of their group was missing. The leader of the group, a levelheaded young woman, told them to keep on going, it was probably a hoax. The group continued walking and for extra safety, the group made sure that they were…um…they were…closely watched by each other."

"I don't like this story," Neptune groaned, looking at Uranus. The taller girl shrugged.

"We don't have any choice," she said. "Venus and Saturn die after this."

Saturn took a deep breath and continued. "But to make things worse, the mummy decided to show itself and capture two more members of the group." Everyone shot Saturn a look and looked amongst themselves. Everyone was still there. Everyone except…

"Mars! Pluto!" Sailor Moon shrieked, looking around. "Where'd they go?" There was another amulet on the ground. "Saturn! Can't you make it a happy ending where people don't disappear?" Saturn shrugged.

"Capricorn said make it close to the first one as possible," she said. "I'm trying the best I can."

"Let me take over some," Venus said. "After a brief period of hysteria, the archaeologists continued their quest, which was slowly beginning to go downhill. The group walked a couple more yards when they saw the large elaborate door that led to the most important room: the sacrificial chamber. Before anything else could be said, the co-leader of the group touched the door and wondered if her friends were inside."

"I hope they _are_ in there," Sailor Moon said, touching the door gently. Venus sighed.

"The door slowly swung open as the petite girl touched it," Venus said. "As the door swung open, the archaeologists heard a muffled struggled behind them and spun around." The senshi spun around at the noise and saw a decayed body grabbing Uranus from behind. The blonde soldier glared back at him and flailed angrily, trying to get away. But for someone who had been dead for a long time, the mummy had a tight grip.

Then, before anything else could be said, the mummy was gone and so was Uranus. A ruby amulet clattered to the ground. Destiny turned on the blonde soldier telling the story.

"Venus!" she exclaimed. "You're going to kill us if you keep telling the story like that!" Venus blushed and then pointed inside the door.

"We should keep going," she said. "Saturn, I hand the story over to you." Saturn sighed.

"The archaeologists entered the room," she said. "This is where it would take place. Everything would come together now and the search would be complete. Unfortunately, there was a one problem. The mummy was there waiting for them."

A bandaged figure appeared in the middle of the circular room. He glared at them, his red eyes spelling doom to anyone who dared cross his path.

"But the co-leader of the group, a pretty soldier, had an amulet that would destroy the mummy and release her friends from the curse," Saturn continued, looking at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon gasped at recognition.

"The _ginshinzou_!" she gasped and held up her locket. "Moon Healing Escalation!" The silver dust landed on the mummy, who shrieked in pain. In a few minutes, all that was left was a pile of rags and soon, those disappeared as well.

"Well, where are the others?" Sailor Moon asked expectantly. Venus looked at Saturn and then took a deep breath.

"Freed from the mummy's curse, the lost archaeologists reappeared," she said.

Silence.

"Venus!" Sailor Moon exclaimed.

"Hey, I only tell the story. I'm not responsible for bringing them back."

"No! You forgot to say 'the end.'" Everyone facefaulted. Venus sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"The end!" she shouted and immediately, their friends reappeared. That is, they crashed to the ground from out of the ceiling. The amulets broke and disappeared into thin air.

"Remind me never to listen to your stories again," Mars mumbled as she picked herself up off the ground. "We end up getting kidnapped by a mummy." The other three senshi gave Venus and Saturn a look as they got up off the ground.

"We're here," Midnight said softly. "So, this is it. Oh, wow. I'm so nervous." Scorpio looked over at Pluto.

"Can you open the time-space gate Pluto?" she asked, looking the older soldier right in the eye. Pluto nodded and raised her time key. The garnet orb glowed brightly and a large, ornate door appeared in the middle of the room. Pluto sighed a bit.

"Haven't seen this thing in a long time," she murmured, walking over to it. She raised her key once again and the door opened, revealing a white oblivion. She stared at it quietly and then turned back to the other senshi. "Whenever you're ready."

Scorpio carefully produced the scepter in her hands. "Who does it belong to? Scepter, find your owner." The scepter glowed brightly and hovered above her hands before disappearing. It reappeared above Sailor Destiny. Neptune laughed.

"It makes sense," she said, "since she had our souls for a long time. Congratulations, Hogoshi-chan." Destiny blushed and then looked over at Sailor Midnight.

"How do I use this?" she asked. Midnight shrugged.

"Your heart will tell you," she said and then looked over at Capricorn. She ran over to the girl and wrapped her arms around her.

"It'll be okay, Kei," Capricorn whispered, hugging the girl tight. "I promise you, it'll be okay." Midnight clung to the other girl tightly.

"I'm not afraid," she replied, though the tears on her cheeks proved otherwise. "I'll miss you, Yomicha. Please don't forget me." Capricorn shook her head.

"I could never." And with that, she leaned over and kissed Midnight on the cheek. Midnight gently turned her head and kissed her love on the lips. The kiss was everything that they had ever wanted from each other, something that neither of them wanted to lose. But it was fading and they would have to good-bye. Midnight hugged Capricorn fiercely, not wanting to leave her.

It's funny, Midnight thought to herself as she pressed her body against the taller girl. _I never knew I could ever feel something like this. Please, I love you Yomicha. Don't ever…don't you ever forget me. I will see you again...I have a feeling...that this may be that lifetime..._

, Midnight thought to herself as she pressed her body against the taller girl. 

The other senshi didn't say anything. Sailor Moon had tears in her eyes and was struggling not to bawl out right there. She just leaned back on Tuxedo Kamen's chest and held his hand tightly. Chibi Moon was leaning against her leg and holding on tightly.

The kiss finally broke and the two senshi pulled away from each other. Sailor Midnight gave Capricorn one final hug before walking over to the time gate. Scorpio gently held the scepter in her hands and aimed it at the girl. Suddenly, it was broken. She rushed over to Midnight and gave her a hug.

"Good-bye, Kei-chan," she said. "I'm sorry if I was mean to you. I promise you we'll find another way to do this." Midnight nodded.

"Don't say that," she said, patting the girl on the head. "The only way would be to have the truth come about. And don't act like I'm going to die. I just have to take care of my senshi somewhere else for awhile."

"Okay," Scorpio said heavily and pulled away. Sailor Moon turned her head away, not wanting to see what was going to happen. Pluto had to watch, to tell them when it was over.

Tears ran down Scorpio's face as she looked around in the dark room, the only light coming from the time gate. "I'm sorry, Kei. We didn't mean to set your destiny."

A white beam erupted from the pink orb on the scepter, glowing with an almost blinding light. The senshi stared in surprise and trepidation as the light of the beam encircled Sailor Midnight's body, completely covering her from view. The light shot in and out of her body, breaking or burning molecules. The bright white light blinded all the senshi in the room. Sailor Midnight stared at them and launched her power into the scepter. Instantly, she detransformed into Kei.

Kei walked back to the time gate and shared a look with Pluto. Pluto met her eyes steadily. "You think it's this lifetime that destiny will change?" Kei asked softly. Pluto seemed to regard her and a sad smile found its way to her face.

"Yes...it is," she said. Kei bit her bottom lip and stared at the solitary soldier of revolution. Slowly, she turned towards the gate, the wind from it blowing her violet curls. She knew her dad wouldn't remember her after she walked through the door. Neither would any of her friends.

"I guess I'll see you again soon then, Pluto," Kei whispered and then stepped through the door and disappeared. The light begin to dim down as the rest of Kei's power entered into the orb on the scepter.

The locket clattered to the floor before it disappeared.

Sailor Moon had turned away and was crying continuously now. Her body shook with each sob. "No…" she whispered.

Scorpio lowered the scepter, a look of absolute desolation on her face. Capricorn put her hands on her shoulder and hugged the girl. Scorpio began crying as she looked at the scepter. She buried her face into Capricorn's sailor collar and just cried. "Could this be that lifetime?" she whispered so softly that only Capricorn could hear her.

Pluto looked away. "The sacrifice isn't over yet. There's one more step." Capricorn nodded and carefully touched the scepter. The orb was glowing bright purple, with clouds swirling inside. She placed the bottom tip on the floor. The scepter uprighted, defying gravity. She looked over at the senshi.

"It's time," she said. Sailor Moon walked over to the scepter and placed the silver crystal on top of the scepter. The glowing item floated above it, ready for power to be released. Destiny knelt down across from the princess and they locked hands, closing their eyes. The sign of the golden moon shown brightly on Sailor Moon's forehead as her sailor fuku disappeared. For a second, she was only covered in pink ribbons that were lashing out violently. But then, the ribbons turned white and her princess dress appeared.

"My friends and guardians," Serenity said softly, with an elegance in her voice that was filled with sorrow. "It is time to complete the revelation of sacrifice." Her friends, the sailor senshi, looked at each other and nodded. Chibi Moon and Tuxedo Kamen stepped back and Pluto stepped away from the time gate to join the ring the senshi were forming around Serenity and Sailor Destiny. Their tiaras disappeared, revealing the signs of their planets, glowing their respective colors.

"Soldier of ice and wisdom, I am Sailor Mercury."

"Soldier of fire and war, I am Sailor Mars."

"Soldier of electricity and protection, I am Sailor Jupiter."

"Soldier of love and beauty, I am Sailor Venus."

"Soldier of earth and magnificence, I am Sailor Uranus."

"Soldier of water and embrace, I am Sailor Neptune."

"Soldier of silence and destruction, I am Sailor Saturn."

"Soldier of time and revolution, I am Sailor Pluto." Serenity felt all of their power as sailor senshi flow into the silver crystal. It was the most powerful and pure energy she had ever felt. She slowly opened her sapphire eyes and smiled.

"I am Serenity, legendary soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon. We are the sailor senshi of the planets. Together, we can accomplish anything." And with that, she released all of her power in to the silver crystal. It was growing with each passing moment, illuminating the room. Each of the soldiers' auras were glowing brightly.

The silver crystal slowly sank into the orb on the scepter. Serenity and Destiny touched it at the same time and stood up. They held it high above their heads and pointed it towards the ceiling.

"Gates of Destiny, open and seal with this power!" Serenity yelled. The room exploded in pink and silver light. The senshi felt their power give out, but struggled to keep Serenity high. The gates were opening slowly. The senshi felt the pressure in their own hearts and wills. It was tightening and the pain suffered was incredible.

Chibi Moon's power blinked out as she stared at her future mother in surprise. Tuxedo Kamen also lost his power as both energies went and sealed the gate between the two universes.

Capricorn and Scorpio smiled at each other. "The Gates of Destiny are closed once again. The senshi will hardly remember anything after this battle is over." Scorpio nodded as the white light filled the room, covering each and every body.

"I think we should let them remember this time," she said. "Pluto will be angry if we don't. And...if Kei-chan was right, this will be the lifetime that _everything_ will change. We should let them remember...just one more time." Capricorn nodded.

"They can remember if they want," she said. "It's up to Sailor Moon." Without another word, the two senshi of the revelation bid a silent farewell to planetary senshi and walked into the time gate, returning to their own realm. Capricorn smiled faintly and looked back at the beautiful figure of the princess.

"Princess Serenity," she whispered in a voice that did not seem to belong to her. "The true princess of purity. Please enjoy the presence of your friends. The Genesis will not wait much longer."

And then, there was silence.

* * *

Random author's note: Confusing, eh? A lot in this chapter was supposed to be, with mysteries that wouldn't be answered until Fatal Destinies. Who is Derick Corring? What is the Genesis? Very good questions. 


	17. Episode 235

THE SECOND MOBIUS

Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

May 2000 – September 2000

Revised - Winter 2001

* * *

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.

* * *

Episode 235: A farewell among the stars. Oceans of eternity

* * *

Usagi woke up in horror. "MOM! I'm gonna be late for school!" she screamed, scrambling out of bed. She felt flat on her face and then began crying.

Mako woke up to her shrieking. "Usagi-chan…" she said, her voice a little slurred from sleepiness. "Other people are trying to sleep. It's Saturday. As in, not a school day." Usagi blinked.

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Something important is supposed to happen today. I know it."

"Well, when you find out, wake me up," Minako grumbled, putting a pillow over her head. Usagi sat for five minutes, trying to figure out what was so important. She glanced over at her clock that read 10:05. Five after ten? FIVE AFTER TEN?

"I remember!" Usagi shrieked, waking up everybody in the room. The girls had had a sleepover the night after fighting the zodiac and were completely tired. Rei glared at her, bopping her over the head with the pillow.

"I have a major headache, meatballs for brains!" she shouted. "After giving up power as a sailor senshi, you'd think you'd let us sleep some more." Usagi groaned.

"Why do you say that?" she asked. "I can't half remember what happened that made us lose our power. I just remember a dark hallway and something about a mummy." Minako stretched and then stared at Usagi.

"I remember a little more than that," she said. "I remember Pluto opening the time gate and…something…you know, I don't really remember that well either."

"That's because this day is overlapping," Ami suddenly commented. At hearing the conversation, she had turned on her mini computer (she had been surprised that she still had it) and typed in some information. "According to my computer, now at this time, we would have been going to the that hallway…and then there's something about a mummy in here too." Chibiusa was still sleeping and Usagi woke her up. The little girl groaned and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"What?" she murmured, looking at Usagi. "Overlapping? What does that mean?" Suddenly Ami laughed.

"I understand now!" she said. "This timeline we're in was halted when we went and fought the zodiac last night. Pluto set up another one that allowed us to destroy the zodiac and complete the sacrifice. By the time we got back to this timeline, no time had passed at all. To everybody else, we were still having a sleepover."

"Are you telling me that everything that happened to us last time took no time at all in this timeline?" Hogoshi asked cynically. "Wow, that was smart."

"I told everyone that remember now!" Usagi suddenly yelled again. "Hogoshi-chan, your plane leaves at 12:00!"

"My plane?" Hogoshi asked, confused.

"Yeah, remember you said that you were going to America early to set up you dorm and all that other stuff," Usagi said slowly. "We're gonna miss you Hogoshi-chan!"

"We'll miss you!" the other five said in unison, hugging Hogoshi. The brunette blushed.

"Um, _arigatou_?" Hogoshi asked. "You'll write me, won't you? And visit at least once a year?" Usagi was nodding vigorously, but wondering how often she would have to write.

"You're going to become a famous doctor!" Chibiusa cheered as she began to get up. "C'mon you guys, we have to clean up! We're supposed to meet Pu and the others at 11:30!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hotaru pulled the covers up over her head. She just didn't feel like getting up after everything that happened (or didn't happen) last night, she was exhausted. She was not getting up for anything or anybody.

"Hotaru-chan! Wake up!" a voice shouted from the door. Hotaru peeked over the covers and saw Haruka standing in the doorway. She groaned and pulled the covers back over her head.

"No!" she yelled, her voice muffled under the cushions. Haruka sighed and walked over to the bed, pulling the covers from Hotaru. The dark-haired girl glared at Haruka for a second before pulling her pillow over her head.

"Oh, come on, Hotaru-chan," Haruka muttered. "You can't stay in bed all day."

"Yes I can."

"Oh, no you can't," Haruka replied and picked Hotaru up. Hotaru let out a shriek and struggled, but Haruka's grip was strong. She carried the girl to the end of the hallway, ignoring the protests. The blonde dumped a flailing Hotaru in front of the bathroom. "Now, get yourself cleaned up. We meet the others at 11:30 at the airport."

"Airport?" Hotaru asked. "What airport?" Michiru's door opened a little and she poked her head out, looking across the wide hallway. She smiled.

"Hogoshi-chan is leaving for America today," Michiru said softly. "We're going to the airport to see her off." Hotaru nodded and walked into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Haruka sighed. Michiru looked a little confused.

"What happened?"

"I had to drag her out of bed. She's not too happy with me right now." There was a shuffle on the other side of the door. It swung open and Hotaru popped her head out and stuck out her tongue. Then she slammed the door again. Haruka just sighed again and leaned back against the wall. "See?" Michiru smiled at the blonde and gently held her hand.

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "Everyone's just a little tired from that battle that happened last night."

"Yeah, we're no longer sailor senshi," Haruka muttered. Michiru frowned.

"You don't like that thought?"

Haruka sighed deeply. "I don't know. I just can't help but think that we've been senshi for…well, not an incredibly long time, but long enough and suddenly, we're not them anymore." Michiru was quiet for a second.

"I guess you're right. I might miss being Sailor Neptune, but now I have more time to do things I couldn't do because I was Sailor Neptune. I can concentrate on my violin and my painting and swimming…"

"Are you sure? Capricorn did say that something important is going to come up. We might be senshi again after all." Michiru smiled and gently tugged Haruka's hand.

"Come on Haruka," she said, dragging the girl into her bedroom. "Help me get ready." The door shut.

There was a giggle from the other side of the hallway. Hotaru pulled back from the keyhole and laughed a little. Sometimes her life was too good.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Is that it?" Mamoru asked, taking the last suitcase and putting it into his trunk. Hogoshi nodded and turned back to Mako's house where she had been staying for the past year.

"So, I guess I'm supposed to say 'good-bye house,'" Hogoshi said with a smile. Mako rolled her eyes and slapped Hogoshi on the back.

"No, you can say 'thanks Mako-chan for letting me stay at your house and eat your food, even though I did eat more than Usagi-chan,'" Mako supplied, climbing into the backseat with Chibiusa and Rei. The pink-haired girl was sitting on Rei's lap constantly pulling Usagi's pigtails.

"Leave me alone, you brat!" Usagi shrieked, spinning around. Chibiusa giggled and looked out the window.

"Where's Ami-chan and Minako-chan?" Hogoshi asked as she squeezed in next to Mako. "They're not coming?"

"Ami-chan's mom is going to drop her off and Minako-chan's parents are going to drop her off," Rei said, trying not to laugh as Chibiusa rolled up the back window on one of Usagi's pigtails. Usagi didn't even notice as Mamoru started the car. Hogoshi grinned as they pulled off from the house.

"So, what's the name of the academy again?" Usagi asked, turning her head. She felt a little tug and rubbed the back of her head. Rei was turning red from suppressed laughter.

"Um…I think it's something like Roosevelt or something to that extent," Hogoshi said. "It feels so weird. I mean, my best friends just got back from the dead a week ago and I'm flying halfway across the world to go to school."

"A sailor's work is never done!" Usagi yelled, turning to Hogoshi. Another tug. She spun to her left to scold Chibiusa. But the tug was on her right pigtail. Usagi spun to her right and saw her blonde pigtail flapping wildly in the wind, caught in the window. "CHIBIUSA-CHAN!"

The entire car erupted in laughter. Even Mamoru chuckled as Usagi tried to strangle Chibiusa and get her hair out of the window at the same time. Finally, Rei let down the window and Usagi's hair came flying back in, smacking Mako in the face.

"Hey, watch it!" Mako yelled, slapping the hair from her mouth and eyes. Hogoshi laughed hard, wiping tears from her face as Usagi went back to her pursuit of trying to kill Chibiusa. The pink-haired girl got in the space right under the front seat and pulled down the lever that made front seat lean back.

Usagi jerked forward, onto Rei's lap, now completely tangled in her seatbelt. "CHIBIUSA!" she roared, trying to flip the seat back up.

"Please don't tear up my car," Mamoru pleaded as Usagi struggled to get free from her restraint. Hogoshi let down the window and laughed again as Rei kicked the seat back forward sending Usagi crashing back on the dashboard.

"OWWWW!" she screamed, rubbing the back of her head. "Rei-chan!" Rei just crossed her arms and stuck her nose up in the air. Usagi began crying, huge tears wetting the front seat. "You didn't apologize! That's not faaaair!"

"Usagi-chan!" Mako said, spinning the girl around to sit properly in her seat. "Sit down and enjoy the ride. We'll be at the airport in ten minutes. Try not to get hurt until then."

"But she didn't…"

"Usagi-chan!" Hogoshi snapped, but immediately started laughing again. "Never mind." Chibiusa stared thoughtfully at Usagi and then grinned. She began rummaging in the pocket of the front seat until she pulled out a rubber spider. Rei, Mako, and Hogoshi immediately covered their mouths and could already feel the tears swell up in their eyes.

Chibiusa carefully place the huge tarantula on top of Usagi's hair. The blonde didn't even notice. The three other girls were turning red from not laughing. "Um, Usagi-chan?"

"What is it, you little brat?"

"There's something on top of your head," Chibiusa said, trying to make her voice fearful. Usagi rolled her eyes and touched the top of her head. The rubber spider fell off her head and into her lap. Usagi stared at it for a second, frowning. She picked it up, trying to see what it was.

"_CHIBIUSA_!" she screamed, dropping the spider like a hot potato. "It's spider! AHHHHHH!"

The group burst into laughter as Usagi tried to climb on top of the seat. Chibiusa pulled the lever and Usagi fell backwards into Rei's face.

"_Odango-atama_!" she screamed, trying to push the girl back over the seat. "Get out my face!"

"Rei-chan! It's a _spider_!"

"I don't care if it's the atom bomb, get off of me!" Rei screeched, pushing Usagi over the seat. She landed on the spider and began crying from fear. Mamoru reached over and quickly threw the spider back to Chibiusa.

"It's okay," he said, patting Usagi on the head. "It was just a rubber spider. It wasn't real." Usagi looked up, his words suddenly taking on a whole new meaning.

"Not real?" she asked, glaring up at the others. "NOT REAL? CHIBIUSA!"

It was not a quiet ride to the airport.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Setsuna sighed, looking at her watch. "They're late." Hotaru shrugged and looked across the terminal for Usagi and the others.

"Early isn't part of Usagi's vocab," she said. Minako and Ami had already arrived and had been watching planes take off until Minako said she was hungry. The two girls had left to find a gift shop where they could buy some junk food. Haruka and Michiru had gone with them. "I'd be surprised if she came early."

Setsuna laughed as Minako and the others came back to boarding station. "Did you buy out the whole store?"

"No!" Minako said quickly. "But there was a cute stuffed animal in there…" She pulled out a medium-sized teddy bear that had a baseball cap and ball in its hands…er, paws. "Isn't a cutie? I think I'll add him to my collection."

"He is so cute!" Hotaru squealed. "Do they have any more?"

"Yeah."

"Setsuna-mama," Hotaru said excitedly. "Can I have one? Please?" Setsuna looked up at Haruka and Michiru. Michiru smiled.

"We told her to ask you," she said. Setsuna groaned and allowed the sixteen-year-old to pull her to the gift shop.

"WE'RE HERE!" Usagi suddenly screamed. Everyone turned to her as she raced up to the waiting members of the group. A flush spread through the group. "Hey everyone! Wow, what a huge airport!"

"No kidding," Haruka said. "You've never been in an airport before?" Usagi blushed.

"Well, yeah, but I forgot what it looked like," Usagi admitted. She looked around. "Where's Setsuna-chan and Hotaru-chan?"

"Hotaru-chan dragged Setsuna-san off to buy her a stuffed animal like the one Minako has," Ami supplied. She had brought a book from the gift shop and was eagerly reading it. "They'll be back soon."

"A teddy bear?" Usagi gasped, tugging Mamoru's arm. "Oh, Mamo-chan! Can you get me a teddy bear?" Mamoru got a funny look on her face as she pulled him off towards the gift shop. Chibiusa scowled and grabbed the other arm.

"Yeah, me too!" she cheered and both girls pulled him off. The rest of the group sweatdropped and looked at each other with a sigh.

"Some things never change," Rei muttered, shaking her head. Her black hair tossed back and forth. "Anyway…"

"So, I guess my plane leaves in a couple of minutes," Hogoshi said, dropping her green duffel bag onto the floor. She stretched out in an uncomfortable airport seat. "Hmm, so it has been a year since I met you guys."

"Oh, no," Mako quickly started. "We're not going on any strolls down Memory Lane. I've had too many headaches to deal with that fact that my roommate is off to America."

"You'll like the U.S.," Michiru said with a laugh. "It's a nice place. I just hope you have some flawless English."

"Where is the academy anyway?" Minako asked. Hogoshi blushed.

"In this state called California," she said. Minako's eyes lit up as she grabbed Hogoshi's arm.

"California!" she gasped. "You mean the Hollywood California? _Hollywood_? Oooh, I have to come and visit you soon! I have pretty good English!"

"Of course you do," Rei said. "You lived in England for a pretty long time." Minako stuck out her tongue.

"I'm not going to be living in Hollywood, though I suppose Anaheim is somewhere close to there," Hogoshi replied. "Oh well. It doesn't matter. We can arrange something."

"Yea!" Minako cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Hollywood, here I come."

"Um, Minako-chan," Ami whispered. "People are staring." Minako blushed a little, but then played it off by a nervous laugh.

Just then, Usagi and the others came back. Usagi, Chibiusa, and Hotaru were holding teddy bears while Mamoru and Setsuna just shook their heads. Hotaru yelped when she saw Hogoshi and wrapped the taller girl in a hug. Hotaru was still on the short side for being a sixteen-year-old.

"Wow, so this kind of good-bye, Hogoshi-chan," Hotaru said after pulling away. "You'll right and visit again sometimes, right?" Hogoshi bowed.

"Sure, as long as you promise the same thing," she said. The conversations were interrupted by a male voice over the loud speaker.

"International Airlines, Flight 207 to Los Angeles, boarding now at Gate 4. I repeat, International Airlines, Flight 207 to Los Angeles, boarding now at Gate 4. Thank you."

Hogoshi took a deep breath and turned to the others. "That's me." Minako looked a little crossed.

"I thought you were going to Anaheim," she said, crossing her arms. Hogoshi picked up her duffel bag and swung it across her shoulder.

"I am," she stated simply. "My roommate is meeting me at the airport and we're going to drive over to Anaheim. All the plans have been made don't worry."

"Okay," Usagi said. She looked a little sad as she moved away from Mamoru. "So, I guess this is _sayonara_." Hogoshi smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so," she said as Usagi wrapped her in a tight hug. "Don't worry, moon girl, we'll see each other again. It's not like I'm off to war or anything." Usagi laughed, but wiped some tears from her eyes. "Oh, don't start crying! Then I'll cry and then everyone else will cry and we'll be a very sorry looking group."

"_Hai_," Mako said, giving Hogoshi a firm handshake. "I hope you enjoy yourself."

"I do too," Hogoshi replied. "I wonder if I can find a cook as good as you in Anaheim. I might have to ask you to mail me some of those recipes." Mako laughed and pulled away. Chibiusa held up a bulging backpack.

"These are the gifts," she said. "It's from every one of us. It was a last minute shopping kind of thing. Since you just told us you were going… yesterday." Hogoshi grinned.

"I'll warn you a week in advance next time," she said. Ami nodded and quietly gave her a hug good-bye. Minako rushed up to her and grabbed her hands.

"Okay, listen," she said. "Try and get some famous people's autographs, okay? Then, mail them back to me. Oh, and get some pictures of you too. And I wanna see if your roommate has a cute brother or boyfriend or something. Wow, I wish I were going instead of you." Everything was said in one breath. Everyone laughed as Hogoshi began to blush.

"I'll…uh, try," she said and then turned to the outer girls. Her mood saddened a little. "Um…how do I say good-bye to you guys?" She walked towards them and hugged Haruka hard. "I'm gonna miss you guys more than I can say. You won't forget to write or visit?"

"International Airlines, Flight 207 to Los Angeles, now boarding at Gate 4."

"We won't," Michiru said softly, stroking the girl's silky brown hair. "Even if Setsuna messes up the timeline again." Setsuna gave Michiru a pointed look.

"I did not mess up the timeline," she said as Hogoshi gave her a hug too. Hogoshi laughed a little.

"Okay, sure," she said. Hotaru tapped her on the shoulder.

"What, I don't get a hug?" she asked. Hogoshi giggled a little and wrapped the shorter girl in a tight hug. "That's better."

"Hogoshi-chan, be careful," Haruka advised. "Call us when you get settled in. And go to sleep right on the plane." Michiru rolled her eyes.

"I guess it was a bad idea to have you read that Stephen King book," she said. Haruka glared at her.

"Sure and I guess it was a bad idea to let you cook lunch yesterday," she replied. Michiru blushed and Hogoshi laughed a bit, staring at her four best friends. "I don't know if it was food poisoning or what, but I'm not sure my stomach handled it too well."

"Your stomach handled it fine!"

"Yeah and the bus it rode in under handled it fine too."

"Haruka!" The group burst out into laughter at the two bickering young women. Michiru finally gave up and laughed too, knowing Haruka was just kidding.

"Last call for International Airlines, flight 207 to Los Angeles, boarding at Gate 4. I repeat, last call for International Airlines, Flight 207 to Los Angeles, boarding at Gate 4. Thank you and have a nice day." Hogoshi sighed.

"I better go before I miss my plane," she said, walking towards the ticket counter. "Good-bye everyone! Don't forget! Letters, calls, and visits are welcome!"

"Bye Hogoshi-chan!" Usagi yelled, waving. "We'll miss you! And remember: a sailor's work is never done!" Hogoshi grinned at the saying and walked through the door leading to the plane. "I'm gonna miss you Hogoshi-chan."

The senshi stayed for a couple more minutes before walking off. Usagi sighed heavily. Just a year ago, things weren't looking that bright for the senshi. They had just lost the outer soldiers and Chibiusa had returned to the future. Just recently, they were saying good-bye to Hogoshi and hadn't even had a chance to thank or say good-bye to the senshi of the revelation.

Even though they weren't sailor senshi anymore, Usagi felt an ease at heart for the first time in three years. There would be quarrels along the way, but nothing the senshi couldn't beat. Usagi smiled and looked up at Mamoru, hugging him tightly.

"What's all this now?" he asked, teasing her a little bit. Usagi smiled.

"I'm just happy that I can be with you and my friends," she said. "I'm really happy that we can finally have some peace."

The light ahead for the soldiers might be unknown to them now, but soon a whole new path and adventure would be there to greet them.

After all, a sailor's work is never done._>>>End The Second Mobius _

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THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S NOTES: YEA! I'm so happy I'm done with Part 2. It took shorter than dealing with Part 1, but maybe that's because I worked on it, like, everyday during the summer too. I loved the ending. It was more happy than the ending to Part 1 (which had been rather corner).

Anyway, I've already started on Part 3 "Escape from the Moon". This will be on of the most hectice and fun journeys the senshi have ever dealt with. We introduce a handful of new characters and a whole new world to explore. So here we go

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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Five years later. Looking back on a story that I wrote five years ago is a bit difficult, considering how much I've grown since. Sometimes I look at various plot points, and I shudder. Actually, CosmicStars had a very tangled plot, yet I never was able to convey that much until _Escape from the Moon_ and _Dreams of the Forgotten_ (which had been on permanent hiatus for two plus years). I think that maybe one day, when I return to the Sailor Moon fandom, I might continue this story. I still have my author's guide, so it shouldn't be too hard to recall various plot points.

Thank you to anyone who actually read this jumbled mess, and I hope, if you're still interested, _Escape from the Moon_ will be a bit more pleasant to read. bows


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